Complexity
by WitchGoddess101
Summary: It all started with a blond punk stealing his wallet. He didn't know that it would end with him falling in love. AU.
1. Motherfucker!

A/N: Okkkk, so this is my first SasuNaru story. Oh my gosh, I'm so excited. I've been wanting to do one of these since forever ago but alas I decided to lurk in the shadows gathering information for my yaoi debut. No more kiddies, the time has come!

Summary: It all started with a blond punk stealing his wallet. He didn't know that it would end with him falling in love. AU.  
>Pairings: SasuNaru (of course), some GaaNaru, NejiNaru.<br>Ages: Naruto - 21, Sasuke -18  
>Warnings: Lots and lots of cussing, violence, and smut (in the future) and lots of confusion for dear readers who will be dying to know what's really up with Naruto and Sasuke.<p>

Based off of the very hot and sexy characters from "The Summit".

Disclaimer: The Summit and Naruto aren't mine.

ooooooooooooooooooo

The train roared as it sped up, the outside view a blur. He sat regally, as regal as you could look on a crummy train, and ignored everybody's stares. He knew he was a good looking man. Tall, reaching six feet, with black hair that fell into a unique style that framed his handsome visage while it spiked up in the back. His black eyes were usually always fixed into a piercing glare that despite it's intensity attracted people right away. He had an imposing air around him that people couldn't help to have their eyes drawn to him. Everything about him attracted attention, down to his hair, to his Armani suit, to his expensive looking shoes. Everything about him was absolutely dark, beautiful, and sinful. Men wanted to be him and women wanted to have his children.

A boy stood on the opposite wall of him, holding on to the rail of the train. He stared, unabashed. A hat sat on top of messy blond hair, covering his face. He pulled the hat up and a mischievous smirk crossed his tan whiskered face. His blue eyes filled with amusement as he made his move. He had been observing the brooding boy, who despite his manly and mature appearance did not fool him. His brooding was starting to bother him and really, he hadn't had fun in a while so why the hell not? He passed the boy and pretended to trip onto his lap. He fumbled around, trying to get back up, his hands roaming over the boy's suit jacket. The brooding boy, outraged, tried pushing him off.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" he yelled.

"Eheh...I'm sorry!" and the blond quickly got off him with a flush and reached behind his head with his arm to rub his neck in an embarrassed manner. He apologized once more before turning around. The train stopped and the blond got off with a satisfied look in his eyes.

The brunette, still annoyed, glared at him through the glass, hoping that he would get ran over by a car sometime in the near future. And that's when it happened. The blond reached into his orange jacket and pulled out a leather wallet. He smirked at the brunette's face and stuck his tongue out. He froze in shock.

He finally realized, snapping out of his daze, that the blond had his wallet. The brunette quickly tried to get out but the doors had closed.

"Motherfucker!"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The blond gave a loud obnoxious laugh as he watched the train leave the station. He hadn't had this much fun in a long time! He looked at the leather wallet in his hand. Now what? He hadn't really stolen it for the money, which he was sure the boy had, judging by the way he was dressed.

He turned around to leave when two brown haired men came up to him.

"Hey, we saw what you did to that guy. Impressive."

"Uh..."

"Yeah, real impressive. But who the fuck gave you permission to fuck around on our turf?"

"Eheh, no, you guys misunderstood! You see, this guy -"

"Naruto!" someone yelled out.

The blond and the two strangers turned around and spotted a grey haired man in a suit. His face was obscured by a black mask. He was also being followed by other mafioso looking men. Naruto gulped. You see, this grey haired man just happened to be the leader of a gang and said gang handed out a loan to the messy haired blond. And they had been looking for said blond for a long long time now. Well, there's no doubt that they found him.

"Uhhh.." began Naruto again.

Before he could try to trick his way out of such a curious predicament, another voice interrupted.

"You fucking bastard," said the brunette that Naruto had supposedly left behind on the train.

He was sweating and gasping. Naruto gaped. There was absolutely no way that the man had ran from the next stop...right?

So now, Naruto was corned by not one, not two, but three enemies. He huffed, not amused at all by his shitty luck. He had to think quick because most often than naught, he got himself into troublesome situations like these. He grabbed the brunette first, blinking large blue eyes at him. His full red lips fell into a pout as he began to beg.

"Hey man, it was just a joke! You looked like you needed a distraction and I was only too happy to do it..."

The brunette gave him an evil glare. He looked around at the other men gathered around them and asked "Who the fuck are all of you? His accomplices?"

Naruto, seeing this as an easy way to get rid of all his enemies answered "Yup!"

And before any of them could blink, the brunette punched one of the brown haired strangers. And that's when all hell broke loose. Naruto, using this as his distraction quickly fled. His huge grin screamed for all that he very very satisfied. However, that satisfaction was short lived when he glanced back and saw the brunette hot on his trail. Naruto jumped over rails and ran as fast as he could out of the train station with a psycho brunette running after him. He kept glancing back and the brunette just kept gaining on him. Naruto looked in front of him and saw freedom. The exit of the train station was so close and he sped up, his arm reaching across, the warmth of the outside hitting his fingers until he was dragged back and slammed across the cold wall. He looked up into the eyes of the brunette and saw an insane glint in them. The blond gulped and blurted out before the other could say anything "I don't have it! The other guys took it!"

Lie. Naruto had the wallet in his pants. Literally, _in his pants_. But the absolutely scary looking guy didn't need to know that.

The brunette let go of him and sneered down at him. Now that he looked at him, he realized that the blond couldn't be all that older than him. Somewhere along the chaos that the blond had constructed he had lost the hat that was hiding most of his face. Messy blond hair fell around his ears, which were pierced many times and he had blue eyes, the likes of which he had never seen before, that were framed by long golden eyelashes. He had three lines on each side of his face, whisker-like scars, and full red tinted lips. Unlike the brunette, he was not decked out in expensive elegance. He had on a white v-neck shirt and a horrendous orange jacket. His slim legs were encased in a pair of tight black jeans and on his feet were orange converse. On his back was a raggedy green backpack. And unlike the brunette, he was not tall, his head reaching the shoulder of the brunette just barely. He was a slim little thing, giving off a girly appearance.

The brunette gave him a last glance over and reached into the blonde's pants. Before Naruto could react, the brunette pulled his cellphone out of his pocket.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha, and you better get my wallet back if you want your cellphone back."

And with that the brunette walked away.

Naruto was left cellphone-less and with an uncomfortable itch in his pants.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Sasuke grunted as he put on his school uniform as he got ready for school. It was his last year at school and he was attending a rich private school as the top student. The school catered to the rich and the famous, it was a place where you could gain your status and become _someone_. But truly, Sasuke didn't give a fuck about any of that. He didn't know how much longer he could stand the dumbass teachers or the dumbass students. They were idiots, the lot of them, most especially the girls who were ready to drop their panties at his beck and call. Fucking sluts.

Sasuke made himself breakfast because he really didn't have a choice and locked his apartment's door. He moved in just recently because he couldn't stand his overachieving older brother and wanted to get far as far away as he could. Sasuke had always behaved in a rude, antisocial manner but it had only gotten worse when _she_ came into the picture.

She, as in his brother's current wife. The bitch who tried seducing him and later blew him off. The bitch who thought that she was better than he was and who only managed to fuck everything up. The fucking bitch.

His brother had introduced her to him, as his _friend._ He never liked her, not then and certainly not now. She was a slut to the nth degree and he found that out when she asked him to pose for her in the nude for a sculpture she was making. Like he would believe that. She was all over him by the second week of his scheduled modeling. He didn't refuse. Why? After all, she was just a warm body who helped to take the edge off. And then she had to go and make it seem like it was his fault that she fell in love with him when he had clarified that he wanted none of that. Especially with her. So as revenge she married his brother.

He sighed as the school came into view and entered his personal hell. The school was grand and majestic, a beautiful piece of architecture but that was only the outside. Inside it was full of hypocrites and posers who could do nothing but talk, talk, _talk._ He was tired of this school, of his family, of his life. He was tired of everything. He wanted some excitement in his life, he wanted to feel alive for once. Unbidden, an image of a blond, blue-eyed boy popped into his head. Sasuke snorted. _Dobe_. As a matter of fact, he still hadn't gotten his wallet. He pulled out the cellphone he took from the blond and looked it over. It was red and pretty beaten up. He flipped it open and checked for new calls. No, nope, none. He wondered if he was ever going to get his wallet back.

_Unlikely_.

He walked into his classroom and a hush fell upon the room. The girls sighed dreamily while the boys stared enviously.

He could handle the stares, all his life has been all about attention. However, he could not handle the comments. Not because they were hurtful, because to him, they really weren't, but because it made him look like a fool.

_"Dude, I heard that the girl he was fucking ran off with some other guy."_

He jumped off from his desk and turned towards the boys who had said it. The guy smirked but it didn't last for long as a fist landed on his face.

ooooooooooooooooooooo

He stood in the office, bored, as the dean lectured his head off. When were they going to learn?

That he didn't really give a fuck.

He hated it. _Hated._ Making it out to be like he really cared about that bitch. She had just been a fun time to him, _that's all. _She wasn't exceptionally beautiful. She wasn't beautiful, period. With her stupid pink hair, because seriously, who the fuck would have pink hair? She had dull green eyes. Because she was so fucking _dull_. All the fucking time. He didn't understand what his brother saw in the slut. She was so whiny, so needy, so goddamn _clingy._

_Except for maybe...nah. She didn't even have nice tits._

He tuned back into the dean's lecture when he realized it was ending. As the dean talked, the fat under his chin jiggled. His fingers, which looked like wieners being strangled to death by the tight golden rings adorning his fingers, kept pointing at him. As if that would make him kneel down and repent for his sins.

_God, I need some entertainment. Get me the fuck outta here._

And like a prayer, the blond's phone rang a cheerful little tune.

_Fuck yes._

And he walked out of the office, making it clear that he wasn't ever coming back. Because the truth was, he wasn't. Not ever if he could help it. He was done with pretending.

He flipped open the phone.

_"Hello?"_

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo 

(A/N: I wanted to end it there...but I'll just keep going, lol.)

He promised the blond to meet him at a nearby park. He spotted him immediately as soon as the park came into view. It was hard not to. The sunlight shone down on him, making his appearance ethereal. He was sitting on a bench, with his eyes closed. And even though nobody could see those amazing eyes, people stopped and stared at the angelic young man. Sasuke walked closer to him, hoping to scare him. Something about this blond made Sasuke turn into a juvenile child.

"So you go to a real prestigious school, huh?"

Sasuke just raised his eyebrow. The blond opened his eyes to look at him. He was once again struck by the beauty of the cerulean eyes. Naruto suddenly smirked and hit Sasuke's chest with his wallet.

"There ya go. Cellphone please?"

Sasuke reached into his pocket and handed the cellphone to him. Naruto clutched it tight in his hand and looked at it in relief. Sasuke stared questioningly at him but the blond just gave him a bright smile and stood up, which made Sasuke stand up too.

"Don't be so stoic all the time. You'll get wrinkles." he emphasized his statement by poking Sasuke's forehead with his index finger.

Sasuke just smirked, amused.

Stupid blond.

The bus stopped right beside them and Naruto gave him a one finger salute before he got on.

Sasuke stood watching as the blond opened one of the windows and yelled out, his hair flying in the wind as the bus started to leave,

"Name's Naruto! I like you! I put my info in your wallet so come find me!"

And with a puff of exhaust fumes, the bus was gone.

Sasuke looked down at his wallet and opened it.

"Motherfucker!"

It had no money in it.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo o

Naruto was a man dammit. He was born one and by god, he would die as one. He had a dick so he couldn't understand why on earth he attracted so many damn creeps and perverts. He understood that he was a sexy thing. Naruto was humble, if not modest. But c'moooon, it's not like he had a flashing light on his forehead that screamed out "I'M A QUEER". Because, really? How else would he have gotten into such a situation?

"Naruto please, just once!"

You see, he had met this guy a few months back. He had nowhere to go after that _incident_ and he was completely and absolutely lost.

_Because I've always been lost without him..._

So, he was at this club, intending to get completely shit-faced when a white dread head came up to him. He was a friend of a person he knew and the guy had offered him a place to stay.

Well what the fuck did he do? He said, fuck yeah. Biggest mistake that he had made in a while. Because really, he's made many in his life but this was the most recent one that he's made in a few months. So, yay him.

It didn't even become a problem up until a few weeks ago when the man suddenly started to want more. Hey, he was a fucking tenant, not some pretty-faced prostitute. Naruto had had hell trying to fend off the guy and right now it was getting fucking annoying. It was pretty much always annoying but this time it was extremely annoying.

"Naruto...please. I let you get away with smashing my car and using my credit card to buy yourself expensive jewelry...so please. Ever since I first saw you..."

Naruto contemplated that the jewelry was pretty damn awesome. And the bastard really deserved his car being destroyed because he touched Naruto's ass. And nobody touches his ass without his permission. Especially some sleazy, dread head who picked him up at the bar.

And then he pounced. Naruto didn't even get a decent warning until he was falling to the ground with the guy on top of him. Naruto kicked him in the face and turned around to run but he wasn't quick enough as the guy suddenly pulled his arms behind him and pinned him down. He felt something hot and hard on his back.

_Is that...what I think it is...oh hell no!_

"Naruto...Naruto, I love you!"

"I don't know that kind of love you sick bastard. Get the fuck off of me!"

He arched his back and tried to buck the guy off of him but he only managed to turn him on even more.

_Well fuck me..._

Not literally of course.

He really wished the guy would get off because he was really fucking heavy and outweighed him by a good 50-60 pounds and Naruto did not want to hurt himself because he was too pretty to be wounded. Also that erection on his back was starting to make him really uncomfortable.

"Well now...isn't this interesting?"

Naruto looked up at the familiar voice and was filled with relief as he saw Sasuke's form in the doorway.

"Sasuke-teme!"

Sasuke's eye twitched at the nickname. Maybe he should just walk back out and pretend he never saw anything.

Unfortunately Naruto did not like that plan at all. Sasuke grew tired of Naruto's constant pleas for help and decided to help him just to get him to shut up.

He kicked the guy off and Naruto quickly turned around to kick the guy on the side.

"You fucking bastard, I oughta -"

He interrupted himself by throwing several other kicks.

Sasuke grabbed Naruto by the waist to pull him off the guy.

"Take it easy dobe. I think you killed him."

Naruto's eyes widened and he lowered himself onto his haunches and tilted his head for a minute.

"I think he's still alive."

Naruto grabbed Sasuke and pulled him out of the apartment.

They walked in silence until they exited the apartment complex.

"Hey...so who are you?"

The brunette rolled his eyes and slapped Naruto's head.

"Aieeee, it was a joke, bastard! You took your damn sweet time looking for me."

"Hn."

"So you missed me too huh?"

"Don't say such disgusting things. You took my money. I came here to collect your debt."

"But I already gave you back your wallet!"

"Without the money. I plan to drag it out to the bitter end, you moron."

Naruto suddenly stopped in his tracks as he spotted something. His blue eyes widened and he ducked to hide himself behind the bush he was standing in front of.

_Shit. How did they find me?_

Sasuke raised an eyebrow and turned around. Right there, he saw the same grey-haired man and his goons that he had seen (and beaten up) at the train station. Faint recognition crossed the man's eyes.

"Hey, you're -"

Naruto grabbed Sasuke's arm and pulled him along as he ran. Hoping to put some much needed space between him and his debt collectors.

"Why the hell do I have to run with you baka?"

"You were seen with me. Now you're my partner in crime " Naruto said with a cheeky grin and wink.

They stopped as soon as they realized that they weren't being followed.

_Well look at that..._

"Fucking idiot, what kind of shady shit did you drag me into?"

"You run slow. You should be careful, those guys are tough," Naruto admonished.

"What the hell does that have to do with me?"

"If I die, you don't get your money back." There was a flash of that pierced tongue again.

Sasuke grabbed Naruto by the collar of his orange shirt and pulled him up to his face.

"Give me back my money you dumbshit!"

Sasuke and Naruto then became aware of the mutterings around them. People stared, concerned that maybe the poor blond man was getting assaulted.

Or that's what Naruto assumed.

"What the fuck are you all looking at?" Sasuke roared.

The blond looked at Sasuke in disbelief, not even concerned that he was probably going to get beaten up.

_Man, this guy is something else!_

Naruto's shoulders began to shake and Sasuke turned to look at him. The blond idiot was laughing so hard that tears were streaming down his face.

"Kami! You're fucking hilarious! I haven't laughed this hard in such a long time."

Sasuke raised his eyebrow at the blond's loud guffaws. He suddenly stopped and glanced up at Sasuke with a sunny grin.

"Hey, let's go for a drink."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

With a bag of beer in one hand, Naruto led Sasuke to an abandoned building. He took them up to the roof and set the bag down before chasing around the pigeons that were resting there.

Sasuke snorted at the blonde's childish antics.

_Why am I even here?_

If he was honest to himself, he would say that he wanted to see Naruto again. But he wasn't honest, because that 'honesty is the best policy' shit was not for him, so he told himself that Naruto just happened to be a good source of entertainment. And the truth was, that he was, if today's events had anything to do with it. He had a feeling that he would never get bored with this man, who took out random situations from his very being.

He picked up the bag full of beer and walked closer to Naruto. He watched Naruto who got onto the edge of the roof. He spread his arms wide and closed his eyes, the wind blowing through his wild mane and lifting up his shirt to reveal a sliver of tan skin.

_Is he tan everywhere...?_

"You know, I sometimes pretend that this is the highest place in the whole world. And that if I spread my arms, I could fly away to somewhere else. Maybe I'd fly to a mountain or a jungle."

Naruto lifted himself up to his tippy toes.

Sasuke's eyes widened marginally and he grabbed Naruto's arm and pulled him away from the edge before he could do something stupid. Unfortunately, he pulled too hard and Naruto fell on top of him.

"What the fuck are you doing?"

"I'm sorry. Did I scare you?" the blond asked.

Naruto smiled up at him, his blue eyes crinkling at the corners, his golden eyelashes brushing against his cheeks. His blonde hair was flying in tune with the wind and his red lips were quirked into a small smile.

_You're making me lose my mind._

"Get off. Do you have no common sense? You run away from debt collectors, return an empty stolen wallet, get assaulted by your landlord! I don't know what do with you!"

Naruto tilted his head to the side and widened his eyes and formed his lips into a pout as he put his fists under his chin to look up at Sasuke with a faux innocent face.

"Are you going to beat me up?"

"Baka."

"You're not going to do anything. If you were going to, you would've already done it. Besides, you're having a drink with me. I think we're a pretty good match. Wanna be friends?"

_He's an idiot. But there's an innocent charm about him..._

Naruto took that as a yes and said "Well then, please take care of me Sasuke-kun."

And kissed his cheek as if it was everyday occurance.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Naruto woke up with a pounding in his head.

_Ughh, I've never been good at holding in my liquor..._

He felt hot and there was something heavy on his back. Like a body. Groggily, he opened his eyes and looked at a room that was obviously not his. The room was bigger and it was definitely a heck of a lot cleaner.

_What the fuck..._

He tried to move but realized there was something restricting his movement. He looked down and saw himself with only his briefs on. With a strange arm around his waist.

_Uh...whaa..._

His mind finally caught on. He pushed Sasuke off and he ended up off the bed and on the cold hardwood floor.

"AIEEEE! What did you do to me your perverted rapist?"

Naruto started to freak out. He has obviously never been in a situation like this.

Sasuke woke up because of the scream and glared at him, pissed off that he was pushed off of his bed and woken up at such an early hour.

"Huh? Did you just push me off MY bed?"

"What did you do to me? Why are you naked?"

"I'm wearing pants you idiot. You're the one that's in your briefs. Don't you remember what the fuck you did? We ended up getting locked out on the roof and we had to call 911 and we ended up getting yelled at by the police. Then I wanted to go home but you followed me and then you passed out in the middle of the street so I had to carry you here. "

"Uhh...so you assualted me and took my clothes off while I was unconscious? You monster!"

Sasuke hit him on the head.

He really didn't know why he even talked to the idiot.

"The one who took off your clothes and got into bed with me was you dobe! If you can't hold your liquor then you shouldn't drink. If you're done now, hurry up and leave, I have to go to work."

"You live here by yourself? What happened?"

Naruto was rewarded with an evil glare. He had seen it so much in the last day that he started calling it the "Sasuke Glare of Doom".

"Uh...I didn't mean to pry. Y'know, you're out of school and you're living by yourself...must've been some real trouble with the family. Not that that's bad y'know, trouble with family is normal and -"

"Your endless chatter is annoying. You're just like a nosy bitch. Are you sure you're a guy? Do you really have a dick? Let me check."

He grabbed Naruto around the waist and put a hand on his hip. The skin on skin contact made him tingle.

Naruto started to struggle in order to make Sasuke let go but the guy had strength. The hand started to trail down his hip to his briefs and slowly started to pull them off.

Or they would've been pulled right off if Naruto hadn't feared for his chastity and shoved Sasuke off of him.

"You monster! Pervert, sadist!"

"What are you scared of? Is it really small?"

"Bastard!"

"Do you get it now? Don't mess with me or there'll be nothing left of you to salvage. Now get dressed and get the fuck out."

Sasuke walked into the bathroom, hoping that by the time that he got out Naruto would be gone.

But alas, Naruto was an idiot and like all idiots he didn't happen to understand the "Get the fuck out" part because by the time that Sasuke got out of the bathroom Naruto was cuddled with a pillow and a blanket over his exposed body glaring at him.

Sasuke couldn't help it. He smirked, amused.

"What the hell are you doing? You're pretty funny, huh. I'm going to leave the key here because I don't have time to make sure that you leave. Lock the door and put the key in the mailbox. Also, take care of that ass of yours. You never know when somebody will try to rape you again."

Sasuke turned around and left, ignoring the loud tell-tale 'thump' of the pillow hitting the closed door.

oooooooooooooooo

"Bastard, " he muttered to himself as Sasuke left.

"I can't believe I fell asleep..."

_Naruto...Naruto, you like me don't you? Broken hearts, betrayel, you're willing to do it all for me aren't you? So do you want to do it...?_

Naruto closed his eyes, his hands grasping his head, an image of a dark haired man passing through his mind.

_Why am I even thinking about that...at a time like this? Stupid. They look nothing alike._

oooooooooooooooooooo

Sasuke took off his helmet and shook his head. The spikes at the back of his head popped right back up. He got off his bike and was immediately intercepted by a red haired woman.

"You're still running around on that motorcycle?"

Sasuke gave a grunt.

"Why the fuck do you care?"

"So hey, I was wondering, if you had some free time, would you like to get coffee? And then maybe we could - "

"Karin. Back the fuck off."

She huffed and pouted.

A white haired man came up to Sasuke and clapped him on the back as he turned to look at Karin.

"Leave him alone Karin. You know he doesn't do that shit," the white haired man smiled a shark-like grin as she left.

"Suigetsu," Sasuke nodded in greeting.

"So what's the problem?" Suigetsu asked as he motioned to the bike.

"The battery keeps dying on me and the oil seems to be leaking. The lever is tight and the handles seem to shake. There isn't a damn part that doesn't seem to have a goddamn problem."

"You should get it professionally checked. Otherwise it'd continue being unstable."

"I don't have the money."

"What? Sasuke, you're a rich kid. You reek of upper-class and status."

Suigetsu was an old friend and something of a mechanic. When in doubt, always ask Suigetsu.

"Not anymore. You got some work for me?"

Suigetsu sighed.

"Fine, fine. Don't cause trouble for me. Just be careful, it's dangerous to be out here with no money."

"I like danger."

"Yeah yeah, you're just like your bike, unstable asshole."

"See you tomorrow."

He watched as Suigetsu walked away and got on his bike to head home. He had lied to Naruto, he didn't have a job to go to. But he would've said anything to have gotten that idiot out of his apartment.

_It's been a month and a half...since I left. I feel like a toy that was thrown away. Attachment. That's what I had been avoiding._

He thought of Naruto and his bright smile.

_The longer I look at you the brighter you are..._

óoooooooooooooooooooooooooo

When he got to his apartment, it looked like a tornado had passed through. The clothes were everywhere and the sheets were wrapped around a lamp. He walked into the bathroom and saw on the mirror, written in lipstick 'Sasuke-teme, fucking pervert' with a chibi Naruto drawn on the side. He had to wonder why the hell Naruto even had lipstick.

"Fucking dammit."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

_Two weeks later..._

Sasuke woke up to the loud dinging of his doorbell. He groaned and tried to ignore it but the idiot moron who was ringing the doorbell wouldn't let up. After five minute, he growled and threw the sheets off of him.

_I'm going to fucking kill whoever the fuck it is!_

He opened the door and wasn't even surprised when he saw Naruto on the other side. He was wearing an orange striped tank and cargo shorts. He had another hat on his head and in one hand he was carrying a luggage suitcase while on his back was a backpack. Naruto greeted Sasuke with an idiotic smile and a wave.

"Hiya Sasuke-teme! Did I wake ya? How ya been?"

Sasuke immediately noticed how loaded Naruto was and peered suspiciously at him.

"What's with that?"

"Ah...this? I left home too. So I'm gonna have to stay with you for a while."

Naruto grin grew as he pushed past Sasuke.

_Motherfucker._

_oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo o_

A/N: Whooo, that was looooong. And that was only the first chapter! I've always wanted to do some Summit work, I find it so depressing it was never finished. ANYWAYS. Feedback, yes?


	2. Fuck

A/N: OK guys, thank you very much for the reviews and for adding me to your favorites/story alerts! It makes me very happy. Now the second chapter is up and I hope you like it. Forgive me for my spelling/punctuation errors but this is unbeta-ed.

Now, onwards!

Summary: It all started with a blond punk stealing his wallet. He didn't know that it would end with him falling in love. AU.

Pairings: SasuNaru (of course), some GaaNaru, NejiNaru.

Ages: Naruto - 21, Sasuke -18, Gaara - 23, Neji - 28

Warnings: Lots and lots of cussing, violence, and smut (in the future) and lots of confusion for dear readers who will be dying to know what's really up with Naruto and Sasuke.

oooooooooooooooooooo

There's absolutely no way in hell. Sasuke didn't even think about it; he slammed the door in Naruto's face.

"I have the keeeey!" came the voice on the other side of the door.

He opened the door with a glare. He walked back over the his bed and growled "I'm going to bed. If I still see you when I wake up, I won't hesitate to kick you out myself."

And with that Sasuke pulled the covers over him and closed his eyes.

_If that fucking idiot even dares to..._

oooooooooooooooooooo

He woke up to a loud banging coming from the kitchen. He hoped, he fucking hoped to kami that that was not Naruto and instead was a huge cockroach that decided to make himself breakfast.

He walked to the kitchen and spotted Naruto on the floor, quickly picking up the toast he had dropped on the floor. Naruto saw him and gave him a sheepish grin.

"Uh...good morning?"

Sasuke ignored him because he was too distracted by the sight of his destroyed kitchen. There was burnt toast in the sink, the pots and pans were all over the floor, and was that butter under his feet?

He lifted his foot up to look at it. Yup, that was definitely butter.

He glanced up sharply at Naruto.

"What the fuck are you doing?"

"Making breakfast...?"

"Then what the fuck is that black shit all over the stove?"

"Um. I like my eggs well done."

Sasuke took a deep breath. Shit, he had only been awake for 5 fucking minutes and he was already going to blow a fuse.

He grabbed Naruto by his shirt.

"I thought I told you that if you didn't leave that I would personally kick your ass out!"

"Wait! Hear me out! I'm running from some really scary guys and if they find me then they're going to kill me!"

Insert faux innocent face here.

"What the fuck do I care?"

"If I die then it's going to be on your conscious forever and you'll die an unhappy, guilt-ridden man!"

"Ask your other friends."

"I already did...but none of them would take me in. All the other good places would tell them where I was. Besides, they were making me repay my debt."

"I see what kind of moronic person you are. Either way, you can't stay here. I just moved in and I don't want to be living with anybody."

Naruto threw himself onto the ground, his arms spread open.

"If you want me out then you're going to have to cut my brain out!"

Sasuke quickly grabbed a knife and lowered himself to straddle the blond.

"Fine by me, I've always wanted to see what an idiot's brain looked like."

"You're so mean Sasuke! I can't stay out on the streets! People could sneak up and rape beautiful me!"

"Shut up. Why do I have to take care of someone that I barely know?"

"Because we're friends."

Sasuke got quiet. He didn't really know what to say to that. He was definitely not expecting that.

"Since when?"

"I was happy with you. Yeah, you're kinda...ok, really rude but I thought you were a good guy on the inside. But I see how you are..."

"I told you, I just got used to living by myself. Besides, who the hell would want someone who picks pockets living with them?"

"That was just a joke. Your brooding was coming off as waves and I just wanted to tease you a little."

Naruto held up both of his hands, "Ok, I'll make a promise that as your friend I would never steal from you. If you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do. But c'mon, give me a break! I won't even eat that much and I'll sleep in a cabinet if you want me to!"

Sasuke ran his hand over his face. He was too fucking tired for this shit.

"I'll eat breakfast and think about it."

Naruto's eyes brightened and he gave Sasuke a sunny smile.

"Thank you Sasuke! You're such a good guy!" he ran to give Sasuke a hug but was intercepted by Sasuke's hand stopping him from getting closer.

"I said I would think about it!"

But Naruto knew that there's was nothing to think about.

"Thanks Sasuke..." Naruto's smile lightened his whole face and was the absolute epitome of beauty.

Sasuke felt his heart skip a beat.

oooooooooooooooooooo

Sasuke was quickly pulled out of his thoughts when he heard a loud voice next to him. He saw Suigetsu and realized that he was at work.

"Sasuke! I've been calling your name for 10 minutes now! What the hell are you thinking about?"

Sasuke studied Suigetsu's face and Suigetsu stared back in question.

"Hey...Suigetsu...smile for me."

Suigetsu didn't even think about the weird request and gave a huge grin, his sharp teeth sticking out.

Sasuke shuddered.

_Nevermind._

He thought back to Naruto's smile this morning.

_I thought his smiling face was pretty cute...what the fuck?_

ooooooooooooooo

There was a firm knocking at the door.

A dread headed young man grumbled as he walked to the door, cursing whoever the hell it was. He opened it and immediately wanted to close it.

"Gaa...Gaara! How did you...I thought you were still in jail!"

The red head walked into the apartment without so much as an invitation. His green eyes scanned the apartment. When he didn't find what he was looking for he glared down at the man.

"Naruto lives here, does he not? Where is he? I came to get him."

The frightened man, although quite terrified could not help but to admire the red head's appearance. He was tall and lean with obvious muscles. His face was an exotic masterpiece, with his bright red hair and his lack of eyebrows only emphasized his beautiful emerald eyes. On his forehead was the kanji for "Ai" in blood red ink, which was ironic because the man was the coldest person who could ever exist.

"He...packed his things up last night and left."

Gaara raised a non-existant eyebrow.

The man grew even more nervous but cleared his throat and continued on while trying to avoid Gaara's gaze.

"It's the truth. He even stole my money," he then motioned to his bandaged face, "this is all his doing too!"

"Where did he go?"

"Who cares? I let him live with me and this is how he repays me...? Whatever, enough about Naruto. When did you get out? "

"What the hell do you think you're doing? Naruto isn't the type of person to hit someone for no reason. So the question is, what did you do to him?"

The man looked around nervously and gave a choked laugh.

"I see."

He grabbed the man by the neck and pinned him to the wall as he used his other hand to punch him in the face. The man's face started to bleed as Gaara let go of his neck and he slid down slowly. Gaara kicked the man in the stomach and he gasped, the pain becoming unbearable. But Gaara wasn't done yet. He grabbed the man by his dreads and slammed his face into the floor. Gaara straigtened up and lifted his foot to grind it against the broken man's face.

"If you ever touch him again, I'll kill you."

And he walked out, his face showing no sign of remorse or pity.

He just needed to find Naruto.

_Soon._

oooooooooooooooooooooo

Sasuke felt great, the wind blowing in his face felt amazing. Riding on his motorcycle always was a great stress reliever.

A red haired man suddenly stepped onto the street, obviously not looking where he was crossing.

_Shit._

Sasuke pressed on the brakes but they were stuck.

_Shit, fuck, damn._

He swerved to avoid the redhead asshole and his bike threw him off.

The last thing he remembered was the man's cold eyes and thinking _"Fuck, I really have to fix that piece of shit."_

ooooooooooooooooooo

When he woke up he was in a hospital with Suigetsu looking over him. He had a cast on his right arm and his shirt was gone.

_I really liked that fucking shirt..._

"Shit Sasuke! You could've fucking died, you fucking asshole!"

"Shut the fuck up. Take me home."

So Suigetsu shut up and took him home.

ooooooooooooooooooooo

They arrived at his apartment complex, Suigetsu holding on to Sasuke's waist, trying to help him walk. They entered and stood in front of the stairs. Sasuke looked at Suigetsu expectantly and Suigetsu just looked at Sasuke in confusion.

"What?"

"Take me up the fucking stairs idiot."

"What the fuck? You have no elevator?"

Five flights of stairs later and an exhuasted Suigetsu, they now stood in front of his door.

Sasuke rolled his eyes at Suigetsu for his weak condition.

_Fucking pussy._

He grabbed his key from his pocket and jiggled the doorknob. When they got in they saw Naruto in shorts and a black tank top drinking milk out of the carton. He had changed his hairstyle so that it looked even messier than before and his blue eyes widened in surprise as he saw Sasuke. His full lips parted and he ran to Sasuke.

"Are you ok? What happened?"

Sasuke was pleased. He'd never seen Naruto this concerned before. He quickly realized that he arrived with Suigetsu and yet the white haired man hadn't made a noise. That was strange for a loudmouth. He looked back and saw Suigetsu staring at Naruto in wonder.

"I didn't know that you lived with such a hottie Sasuke!"

Sasuke blinked.

"What? This guy? You do realize he's a guy, right?" and to emphasize his point, he grabbed Naruto by the waist and pulled his shirt up.

"See, no tits."

"Sasuke-bastard!" Naruto flushed in embarrasment, whether because Sasuke's friend had thought he was a girl or because Sasuke had just sexually harassed him, he didn't really know.

He looked into Sasuke's friend's face and winced at the dejected look on his face.

_Ok...note to self: weirdo._

"Uh. Hi, my name is Naruto!" Naruto then flashed the man his best smile and watched in amusement as he blushed and ran off. Really, if all of Sasuke's friends were like that then he wanted to meet all of them.

"You have some really nice friends Sasuke."

"Fucking idiot. Don't seduce him, he'll become even more of a moron."

"I can't help it if people are attracted to me. They say that beauty doesn't matter in gender. A man can be so beautiful that he can make other men fall in love with him."

"So you're happy because you're a freak?"

"Shut up bastard!"

Naruto sat beside Sasuke on his bed and inched his face closer to his.

"What are you doing?"

"Making you attracted to me. Is it working?"

He realized he had never really been this close to Naruto before. His hair was close enough to smell and it tickled his nose. He smelled musky and sweet. An odd combination. His long eyelashes fluttered provacatively and his lips pursed sweetly. His eyes snapped to his onyx ones and Sasuke mentally shuddered at the intensity in those azure eyes. He felt himself getting closer and closer...

And he shoved a hand in Naruto's face.

"Like hell it is. You're a fucking moron."

Naruto turned around in a huff.

"I see it doesn't work on everyone."

Sasuke ignored him and flopped down onto his bed. He was absolutely exhausted.

Naruto looked at him in concern.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine."

"Do you need anything? Food? Clothes?"

"Dobe, I'm _fine_. "

Naruto stood over him and smiled softly.

"Ok then, call if you need anything."

_He may be an idiot...but it's rather nice having someone here._

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Naruto woke up to someone yelling in his ear.

"Aieeee!"

"Fucking girly man."

"What time is it?" Naruto asked groggily.

He looked at the futon which looked so inviting. He snuggled back up into it and smiled contently.

That is until a pillow made contact with his head.

"Mmghh, lee' me 'lone..."

"Idiot, it's 9 in the morning. Wake up and make some fucking breakfast."

Naruto, although reluctantly, complied and dragged himself out of the comfort of his futon.

_He's lucky he's injured...fucking bastard._

He walked into the kitchen and rummaged through the refridgerator.

_Hm...that's odd._

He gave up and tried in the cabinets.

No. Such. Luck.

His stomach made itself known by letting out a loud growl.

_I know baby, I know..._

He walked back into the bedroom.

"Uh, Sasuke? We have no food."

"What the fuck do you mean we don't have any?"

"I mean, that we have no fucking food!"

Sasuke groaned. Fuck, they had forgotten to go shopping.

Naruto wanted to cry. His stomach was already crying in misery.

_Oh woe is me..._

The door slammed open and Suigetsu appeared.

Sasuke and Naruto turned sharply at the sound and quickly noticed that he was carrying grocery bags.

Naruto cheered and got up to hug Suigetsu for being such a life saver. Sasuke grabbed the bread Suigetsu had brought while Naruto went for the fruit.

They were like animals, tearing into the food, and chewing loudly.

Suigetsu watched, amazed and disgusted (but not by Naruto, cause Naruto couldn't look bad doing anything of course).

"...I could bring you guys food now and then...?"

"Suigetsu! You are my angel!" Naruto launched himself again at Suigetsu and Suigetsu blushed, embarassed but pleased by the attention.

Sasuke just rolled him eyes at the pair of idiots he had the misfortune of knowing.

oooooooooooo

"Dobe. We have a serious problem," began Sasuke as he sat down on his bed. The painkillers he had gotten from the hospital were wearing off and his injury was starting to make itself known judging by the dull throbbing in his shoulder.

Naruto looked at Sasuke's serious face and knew that they were no joking around at a time like this. He sat down on the floor, right in front of Sasuke and looked up at him solemly, waiting for him to continue.

Sasuke sighed, "Living expenses have doubled now that you live here and because I'm injured I can't work. Which means there is no money and rent is due soon."

The blond realized how serious this subject was and became a little nervous. What were they going to do without any money? And he couldn't leave Sasuke, especially now that he was injured. That would just be...wrong.

"So what are we going to do?"

"I'm not going to do anything. You, on the other hand, will have to come up with the money. There are many ways for you to earn money," Sasuke leered at Naruto.

"Are you suggesting...?"

"I don't care what you do, but don't expect me to let you live here for free."

"Did you work a lot? Y'know, before you got injured?"

"I worked days and nights."

"Wow, you're so amazing," Naruto looked up at Sasuke in awe, "when did you ever find the time to sleep?"

"To overwork oneself is the best way to rid the mind of unwanted thoughts."

Naruto was quite puzzled.

"Why don't you just go home?" Naruto was really starting to wonder about Sasuke. He knew absolutely nothing about him but he felt the insatiable curiousity to know everything about him.

Sasuke looked at Naruto, "There's nothing left for me back home."

Naruto's eyes widened. And then he let a sad smile grace his face as his eyes found themselves fixed on the floor.

"You're just like me then."

Sasuke studied Naruto's face carefully and saw his eyes beginning to glaze over with memories.

_What are you running from Naruto?_

The raven stood up and took off his shirt. He threw it and it landed somewhere in the room. He then unbuckled his pants and prepared to take them off.

Naruto, finally realizing that he was in the room with a now stripping young man started to hyperventilate.

"TEME! What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

"I can't hold it in anymore Naruto. It's a basic need, you understand? We're both guys so there's nothing to be embarrased about."

There was no other word for it. Naruto was gonna have a panic attack at this rate.

"I knew you wanted to use my body! You dirty, no good bastard!"

"What are you complaining about? It's not even a difficult thing to do," and to emphasize his point he grabbed Naruto's hips and pinned him to the wall. His hands moved up to grip his shirt and he started to pull it up.

"All I want...is to use your hands."

Naruto gulped and closed his eyes, preparing for the worst.

"So help me get washed up."

Rapist, rapist, rapist, wait, what?

"I can't take a bath if I can't use both of my hands. "

Naruto blinked. And blinked again. He almost wanted to smack himself for misunderstanding (not that it was his fault, if the bastard had just asked him outright then it would've been avoided dammit). He was so relieved that he wasn't going to have to beat up Sasuke. Because he was ready to knee him in the place where the sun don't shine. Good thing he hadn't because then that would've been one hell of an awkward situation.

Ten minutes later Naruto was sitting on a chair while Sasuke was in the tub. He had poured shampoo over his hands and was now lathering it into Sasuke's fine hair. Hey, it was the least he could do. Though, now that he thought about it, Naruto should be rewarded for gracing Sasuke's presense with his beauty. Hmph.

_Maybe later...when he isn't injured..._

ooooooooooooooo

Sasuke was out on the terrance. He was so _so _bored. Now that he was forbidden from working until he recovered and with Naruto at work, he had absolutely nothing to do. He didn't realize until now how much Naruto took up his time. With Naruto around, Sasuke could forget about the loneliness. But when Naruto left, taking his brightness with him, the room suddenly became too dull and lifeless.

_Fucking blonds and their fucking bright personalities. I don't even like the fucking sun. Fucking dammit, shit, fuckfuckfuck._

His head turned as he heard the door from the terrance slam close. He immediately spotted the white hair.

_Fucking Suigetsu and his fucking white hair. Fucking fucking fucking. Stupid fucking sharp teeth that remind me of sharks. I don't even fucking like fish._

Suigetsu walked up to Sasuke with a sharp smile on his face and a grocery bag in one hand.

"Where's Naruto?"

Sasuke looked at him warily.

_Fucking blond. Fucking fishcake, shit dammit. Fucking sharks. _

"He's at work."

"Man. So I came for nothing?"

"Fucking moron."

He leaned on the wall and narrowed his eyes at Suigetsu. He had told him this yesterday but he should probably remind him again in case his mind had a mental relapse sometime overnight.

"I know you probably already know this but...he's a guy. I even checked."

Suigetsu started to bawl like a baby "Stop it! It's all lies!"

"Pull yourself together. What the fuck are you going to do with feelings for a guy?"

The white haired man just sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He looked so lost that Sasuke almost felt a twinge of sympathy. Almost. Because Sasuke doesn't do the whole 'sympathy' shit.

"I'm not going to do anything. This is my first time feeling like this for a guy! I just can't believe it...he's sort of beautiful."

"Fucking idiot. He's a guy, don't be blinded by 'love'".

Sasuke was starting to grow tired of this conversation, "Besides, you don't know what he's really like."

Sasuke thought back to Naruto's attempts at cooking and how Naruto helped him bathe.

"He's charming. And surpisingly obedient. He's cheerful and bright..."

"But maybe...he might actually be an ok kind of guy..." Sasuke trailed off in his thoughts. No, he thought, he might actually be a decent guy.

Suigetsu looked at Sasuke in surprise and yelled "Hey! Don't you dare go falling love with him!"

Sasuke snorted and rolled his eyes, "Never going to happen. Not even in a million years. I'm not such a loney fucker that I would end up falling in love with that idiot."

No, it was impossible for Sasuke to fall for Naruto. He was a guy and his personality was too loud and bright for him. There was absolutely no way that he would fall in love with such a _dobe._

Suigetsu gave a relieved sigh.

They both walked back into his apartment and Suigetsu got ready to leave.

"Hey - "

_Ding dong_

That was weird. He wasn't expecting anybody, and the person who he was waiting for didn't ring the doorbell, perhaps because the stolen key had something to do with that.

Sasuke watched as Suigetsu opened the door. Three men were carrying packages of different sizes and were bringing them into Sasuke's apartment one by one.

"We have a delivery for Naruto Uzumaki here."

ooooooooooooooo

Sasuke sat on his chair in the kitchen as he waited for Naruto's arrival. Suigetsu had left hours ago and really, it was for the best. Sasuke was in a rage and if given the chance he would attack anybody near him.

_Fucking blond...can't trust him for shit. _

He tenses as he heard the doorknob jiggle and in walked the current blond plaguing his thoughts.

"Start explaining, what is all this?" Sasuke didn't have time for fucking excuses nor for idiotic half-truths.

Naruto glanced at the boxes and smiled.

"Wow, so they're finally here?"

"Where did you get the money?" Sasuke then pulled out a blue credit card, "Was it this?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes as Naruto flushed.

"I can't believe you went through my stuff!"

"The name on the back...it's not your name is it?" Sasuke was tired of the continous stalling. He wanted answers, now.

The guilty flush on Naruto's face said everything he needed to know.

"You stole it, didn't you? I keep forgetting that you're really a thief. "

Sasuke was disappointed. He had really thought that Naruto would stop stealing.

"Get all this shit out of here and while I'm at it, I want you the fuck out of my apartment. People who spend money they steal are fucking disgusting. "

Naruto winced, a flash of shame passed through his eyes.

"It's not like that! That guy...was the guy I used to live with. You remember him, right? Do you know how it feels for someone you hate to feel you up? And you can't fight them off because they're heavier! And you can't report them because it would only get worse...isn't it better that I sought for compensation this way?"

Naruto wanted Sasuke to understand. He _needed _him to understand. Years of constant harassment from guys who he hated had taught him that revenge was the only way for him to feel better. His dignity was already shattered but he was holding on to his pride the only way he knew how.

"Do you have no pride? Nothing in this world is free. If you want money then you better be prepared to beg for it or even sell your body," Sasuke hissed vehemently.

Naruto clenched his teeth and his fists. He couldn't hold it in anymore. He had tried his best. He had been on his very best behavior but why was that no good for the raven haired young man? He was surprised when he felt tears fall from his eyes. He hadn't cried in so long.

"Fucking bastard. What makes you so much better than me? I tried so fucking hard to keep things peaceful between us but what's so fucking different between you and me? You have nowhere to go, just like me."

Sasuke's rage got the best of him. In one swift move, he punched Naruto in his face. He didn't even see it coming. Naruto staggered back from the force of the hit and wiped the blood off his split lip. He glared at Sasuke with such anger and loathing that Sasuke was surprised. He then turned on his heel and ran out.

Sasuke fell back onto his chair and ran his fingers through his hair.

_Fuckfuckfuckfuck._

_I did nothing wrong...everything I said was right._

_But then why the fuck do I feel so bad?_

He thought back to Naruto's unexpected tears.

_Fuck. I think I hurt him._

_Fuckfuckfuckfuck._

He put his head in his hands, everything all at once, was just too damn much. He didn't even know what the fuck just happened.

He heard the door rattle and he straightened as Naruto came into view. Naruto stormed up to him and shoved a bag full of beer in his face.

"I was wrong. Here, a make-up present." Naruto's face was flushed but his eyes were determined and he had a small smile on his face.

Sasuke let out a surprised chuckle. This guy was just so different.

ooooooooooooo

They sat on the floor, in Sasuke's room and they had empty bottle beers already littering the once pristine floor.

"So I was thinking..." began Naruto, "and I'll return all the things. And I won't cause any problems between us anymore so don't kick me out. All I've got is thick skin and my attitude but when I hear mean things, my mind gets messed up..."

Naruto gaze fell to the floor and he sighed.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and reached over the ruffle Naruto's blond locks.

Naruto tore his gaze away from the floor and brought it up to Sasuke and smirked.

"What? Is this your way of comforting me?"

"Idiot."

The blond just laughed under his breath and leaned his head onto Sasuke's shoulder and closed his eyes.

Sasuke looked down at Naruto,"Look, if you're being honest then I'll believe you."

Naruto smiled and opened his eyes. He looked up at Sasuke and brought his face closer to him. His eyes were glazed and Sasuke quickly realized that Naruto was drunk. No surprise there, the idiot couldn't hold his liquor to save his life. Sasuke brought up a hand to caress a flushed cheek. His eyes took in the bright blue eyes and the red whiskered cheeks. Up close, Naruto was even more alluring.

Sasuke never got drunk. Ever. Not even when his brother had dared him to drink enough liquor to send him to a hospital for alcohol poisoning. So, safe to say that while Naruto may be drunk Sasuke was most definitely not. If he truly wanted to, he could push Naruto away but at the same time Sasuke was bringing Naruto in closer. He smelled the familiar sweet musk that belonged soley to Naruto. His lips brushed Naruto's and something in Sasuke came alive.

He grabbed Naruto's head with both hands and brought his lips down harshly upon Naruto's.

_And that something in Sasuke roared._

oooooooooooooo

A/N: lol, bad Sasuke. Making out with someone who's drunk.

Review and Review fellow readers!


	3. Confusion I

A/N: Yawn. Gotta get this one out. Thank you for all the lovely reviews, here's the third chapter. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: Not mine, not mine, not mine, not mine.

ooooooooooooooooooo

"Ughh..." Naruto moaned. His eyes were squeezed shut and he was roughly biting his lip. He was on his hands and knees because the pain in his back was too much. He couldn't hold it in anymore. He had tried so hard but the pain had been accumulating and he couldn't stand it anymore. He opened his eyes and looked back at Sasuke who was sweating profusely.

"Sasuke..." Naruto arched his back, trying to alleviate some of the pain there. He couldn't believe that the bastard Sasuke was ignoring his complaints. He had begged Sasuke again and again to put him out of his misery but the teme just didn't seem to care.

Sasuke just groaned. The heat was becoming too much. His hair was stuck to his forehead because of the sweat that was pouring out of him.

_Too much, too much. _

"Sasuke...please..." Naruto begged, trying to convince the raven haired bastard. Really, it was no fair. The bastard looked comfortable as hell and there he was, suffering because his back couldn't handle this treatment anymore.

_Fucking bastard._

"Sasuke, you mean asshole! It's not fair!" he whined. "I can't handle this anymore!"

"Shut up. Take it like a man," was all Sasuke said.

"Please...please! I can't take it anymore! My back hurts sooo much from sleeping on the floor all the time! Just let me sleep on the bed!" Naruto sobbed.

Sasuke couldn't stand to listen to the blond's whines anymore. It was too damn hot and the AC was broken. He had taken two showers in the last hour and Naruto's complaining wasn't improving his mood. At all. But really, the blond tended to piss of Sasuke all the time, even he was doing nothing at all so it was no surprise.

"Just shut up and get your ass to work." he grumbled, wiping off the sweat from his forehead.

Naruto glared at him and stood up with difficulty, his hand holding his waist. He used the heel of his palm and tried to soothe the throbbing muscles there. It was all he could do.

_Sasuke-teme._

"Sasuke, you're a real bastard. How can you be so mean to poor Naruto?" Suigetsu screamed, his hands waving around wildly.

Naruto looked at Suigetsu in suprise.

_What the...when did he get here?_

Suigetsu then turned to Naruto and beamed at him. Naruto smiled back warily, still a little perplexed. It was too early in the morning for weird shit like this. His wary smile then turned into a full grin once he saw the food that Suigetsu was carrying. He jumped onto Suigetsu and pulled his hair.

"Ne...is that food for me?" he turned his 'innocent look' onto Suigetsu, who was quickly turning red. He nodded and Naruto hugged Suigetsu tight, "Oh kami...you are an angel!"

Sasuke just observed them, too lazy to even bother to get up off his bed. He then realized that Naruto was clad in his boxers and had yet to put on some clothes. The blond was still chatting with Suigetsu, oblivious to the shy glances that the white haired man was giving him.

For some reason, that seemed to irritate him. He grabbed some clothes and threw them at Naruto's back, ignoring the indignant squack that came from the blond.

"Dammit, put some clothes on moron!" He raised himself up off his bed and walked to the bathroom. Another shower was very much needed.

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

The three of them were seated around the kitchen table, Naruto munching away happily. Suigetsu just stared at him, admiring the bright blond hair and his full lips which were sensually wrapping themselves around pocky stick. Sasuke stared at the table, cursing Naruto to hell and back.

_I can't even look him in the face after that night..._

Sasuke wasn't sure what had come over him that night. He didn't understand why he did what he did. He could still remember those soft lips and the sweet taste of Naruto's tongue. He remembered those half-lidded blue eyes, desire evident in them. He remembered moving Naruto onto his lap and wrapping his arms around that slender waist. He remembered the soft little sighs that Naruto made and the moans that were so tempting.

He remembered all of that and yet Naruto remembered nothing.

He knew that he couldn't blame his actions on the alcohol. He was nowhere near drunk that night, unlike Naruto who had become buzzed after the first four cans of beer. Naruto had been the one who had leaned into Sasuke...he was the one who had started the whole mess.

_And he can't even remember..._

He watched Naruto lick his fingers, trying to rid himself of the chocolate on them, the pink tongue slipping out and running around slender digits.

That pink tongue...he clearly remembered wrapping his own tongue around it, stroking it. The kiss was like nothing he had ever experienced. It was hot and passionate. Just two mouths joined together, slanting slightly for more access. Clanking teeth and small nips. Harsh pants and roaming hands.

It couldn't have been Naruto's first kiss. Naruto had responded so eagerly, so wantonly. That kind of kissing implied practice and experience. He was pretty damn sure that Naruto had had both at some point in his life. But that kiss was still in his mind, clinging to the deepest depths and stubbornly refusing to let go. He wanted to forget it and wipe it out of his memory forever but it was impossible and it wasn't fair. Because here he was, thinking about a drunken kiss while the recipient of said kiss remained oblivious.

He glared at the blond, "Dobe."

Naruto glanced at him and narrowed his eyes.

"What? You got a problem? Eat your damn food, bastard!"

He ignored him and turned to Suigetsu."Hey, drop me off somewhere."

He was starting to suffocate in such a confining space.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Sasuke sighed as he leaned back onto the bench he was sitting on. There was absolutely nothing to do and he didn't even know why he was here, watching all the people pass by. It was a Monday and men in suits were rushing to work and housewives were out shopping, spending their husbands' money. All in all, he didn't even know why he was here. He had told Suigetsu to drop him off here, but he didn't even know why. He was starting to get impatient. His injury was just a handicap and he would rather much be spending his day working. There was something bubbling inside him and if he didn't manage to get some outlet he felt that he would explode.

"Well if it isn't Uchiha."

Sasuke looked up at the sudden use of his name and smirked. It was the bastard that he had punched in the face in school before he had quit. He had finally found his outlet.

_Finally, some entertainment..._

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

When Gaara rounded the corner of the street, he didn't expect to witness a brawl. He stopped in his tracks and raised a non-existant eyebrow. He observed the brunette and a flicker of recognition shined in his eyes.

_He looks familiar..._

The young man was injured but he didn't let that stop him from fighting. He had grabbed onto the clutch he was leaning on and swung it, hitting the punk in the school uniform. The raven haired man had a sadistic smile on his face as the the guy he attacked fell to the ground. Gaara stepped closer as the fallen boy struggled to get up and then prepared to swing a fast at the injured brunette. Gaara grabbed onto the arm and intercepted the punch before it could arrive at the other's face.

The injured man glared at him, his eyes flashing in anger,"Hey bastard! Who the fuck do you think you are? Don't just butt into somebody else's fight!"

Gaara sighed.

_Why...this man isn't a man at all. He's just a boy._

He didn't want to waste his time standing around. He had more important things to attend to.

_Like Naruto..._

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Sasuke glared at the red head as he walked away. Really, the bastard stopped his entertainment and just walked away as he hadn't done anything. He needed to let some steam out but there was absolutely no way to do that if his outlet had been knocked unconscious already.

_Fucking dammit._

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Naruto leaned on the wall outside of the apartment. He had been waiting for about a half hour and still no sign of Sasuke. He hadn't really seen him in a while. Sure, they lived in the same apartment and slept in the same room but lately Sasuke had taken to waking up late and going to bed early. There was no way to communicate with him if he was always at work and Sasuke was knocked out by the time he got home. He had the funny idea that maybe Sasuke was avoiding him. Why, he had no idea.

He finally snapped out of his thoughts as he heard the familiar scuffing of shoes against gravel. He looked up and saw the distant figure of Sasuke. Finally. Sasuke looked pissed off and Naruto knew he should keep away at those time but the sudden need to see Sasuke was too strong. He found it weird that in such a short amount of time Sasuke had quickly become a good friend. Despite Sasuke's harsh attitude and coarse words, Naruto paid no mind to that. All his life had been about harsh words and cruel acts. He had grown immune to people's negativity over time. So, yeah, Sasuke's temper was a real fright but Naruto liked the small glimpses he had seen of Sasuke's soft side. He wanted to see it more.

He pushed himself off the wall and blocked Sasuke's path. Sasuke looked at him indifferently and raised an eyebrow.

Naruto raised a hand and waved,"Long time no see stranger."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and continued walking, Naruto matching his pace "Baka. We see each other every day."

"Ahh, about that...lately I've been feeling that you've been avoiding me. You're never around anymore." He sighed dramatically and continued "I apologize. Did I do something to you while I was drunk?"

He noticed that Sasuke twitched "Like what?"

"I don't know...like, maybe I threw up on you? Or I was too loud?" Naruto shrugged.

Naruto kept on walking, looking straight ahead and was surprised when he felt Sasuke's hand grab the collar of his shirt and pull him back. Sasuke leaned his head down to Naruto's and pulled him up so that he was standing on his tippy toes.

_Really. Bipolar bastard. Shouldn't even be surprised that he snapped so easily..._

Naruto felt Sasuke's breath hitting his face and he looked into Sasuke's black eyes, emotions swirling wildly in them.

Sasuke growled," You irritate me. But when you're not here I'm irritated too."

Sasuke then let go of Naruto and stalked into the apartment complex.

Naruto grabbed his neck and looked at the sky, confused.

_What did that even mean?_

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

A/N: Ugh, that was awful. Imma tell you the truth you guys, this chapter was half-assed. I'm like...really tired and I have college homework to do. Wahh. But I wanted to write something because I wanted you guys to be happy. I'll be typing up the next chapter today and I might have it submitted by tonight or tomorrow. I know this chapter was short compared to my other ones but keep in mind that there's gonna be another chapter coming up soon.

Please review you guys. I'm tired of opening my e-mail and seeing like tons of messages that tell me that people added my story to their alert list and then see only like, one review.

Come onnn, I'm tired and homework is calling my name. AND I'll be giving you guys another chapter real soon. I think I deserve it right?

-puppy eyes-


	4. Confusion II

A/N: Aww man, I'm behind schedule. I lost track of time yesterday while I was watching Lion King, which by the way I did not get past two minutes until I started to bawl while they sung "Circle of Life", and the next thing I knew I was passed out on the couch with my dog. Smh. The show must go on and I apologize for the wait.

Oh, also, we will be leaving behind the silliness in this chapter. It will get a little serious and it'll keep getting more serious.

Disclaimer: Not mine, not mine, not mine, not mine

oooooooooooooooooooo

Naruto was at work, doing the evening shift with Sai and the store was completely empty at the moment. He sighed, there was absolutely nothing to do. He had already organized the shelves and organized the backroom. And he had this insane feeling of busying himself. It would help him not think about Sasuke's behavior as of late. It was starting to confuse him and no matter how many times he had asked Sasuke to clarify Sasuke would refuse. Did the bastard mean that he couldn't stand to see Naruto because he thought he was ugly? Maybe it was Naruto's personality?

It really couldn't be any of those. Naruto thought he had an amazing personality and the looks of an angel.

So if it wasn't any of those, then what could it be?

He leaned his head onto the hand that was on the counter and sighed again.

_Damn that bastard. Damn him to deepest parts of hell._

Naruto gave a sideways glance to Sai, who was counting the money in the cash register. Sai, feeling Naruto's stare, looked at him and raised a black eyebrow.

Maybe he should get a second opinion.

"Hey...Sai..." Naruto began ," do you think I'm...ugly?" Naruto really didn't think he was but Sasuke bastard was weird and he might be confusing beautiful with ugly.

Sai raised his other eyebrow and gave him his signature creepy smile that never failed to give Naruto the shivers.

"Who said that?"

"Umm, Sasuke-teme...he kind of implied that I was...maybe?" Naruto took a deep breath and continued "I don't understand what that bastard's problem is! I'm an amazing guy. I cook, I clean, I take care of him. AND on top of that I'm beautiful! Doesn't my beauty amaze you?"

Sai opened his mouth to speak but was quickly interrupted by Naruto who continued his tirade.

"Everytime he opens his mouth he insults me!"

"Hm. But you and Uchiha seem close." Sai raised his index finger to his lips in a thoughtful manner.

Naruto pondered that thought. They did live together...and Sasuke hadn't kicked him out yet.

"Maybe you should ask him. Isn't that what close friends are for?"

Close...friends? Naruto's face lighted up with a smile. His blue eyes softened as he gazed into the distance.

"Yeah...you're right. He can't live without me." Naruto grinned.

"Yes yes...you're charming as well so I'm sure you'll make up with him rather soon." Sai then went back to counting the money and Naruto continued staring into space.

He heard the sharp 'ding' of the door and looked up to see a handsome silver haired man enter. There was something oddly familiar about the man. Before he could follow that train of thought the man walked up to the register with his items. Naruto walked over to the cash register with Sai and prepared to bag up the man's purchased items. He saw that the man was buying cigarettes and snorted in disgust. He hated cigarettes. He filled up the bag and handed it to the man and realized that he was staring intently into Naruto's face with a smirk.

Now, Naruto knew he was sexy but the man was really not his type.

"Naruto...so here you are." The man's smirk turned into a mocking grin.

Naruto looked at the man, surprised. He was pretty sure that he had never met this man.

"Uh. Who are you?" Naruto was starting to get nervous. It wasn't everyday that a stranger walked up to you and called you by your name. Well, the whole 'stranger walking up to him' did actually happen everyday but they usually didn't know his name.

The pains of being beautiful, hmph.

"Why...you don't recognize me? How about if you imagine a black mask covering half of my face?"

Naruto scrunched up his nose and narrowed his eyes. His eyebrow rose and the other one followed it as soon as he realized who he was talking to.

Kakashi Hatake. The man he owed a huge amount of money too. Now that he looked really carefully, he did look like him. Well, the part that was usually uncovered.

Naruto gulped and laughed nervously. Really, how he got himself into such situations, he had no idea. He looked sideways at Sai, who was observing him and Kakashi. He couldn't let Sai find out his woes so Naruto, without thinking, jumped over the counter and grabbed Kakashi's arm and dragged him outside. He then let go and led Kakashi to a back alley, where they could have some privacy to talk. He was pretty tired of running and no matter where he went, he was pretty sure that his past would catch up with him.

Naruto sighed and leaned against a brick wall and lifted a hand up to ruffle his hair. He looked up expectantly at Kakashi and waited. He had saved up some money but not enough to pay him back. He wanted to ask a lot of questions but it was better if Kakashi spoke first.

"It seems that...Gaara is finally out."

Naruto's mind went blank. He was absolutely not expecting that. Gaara...was...but he...

He had tried so hard not to think of Gaara, for fear of the guilt and sadness creeping up. But now, if what Kakashi had said was true...

"And it would also seem that Gaara has paid off your debts." Kakashi snickered gleefully.

Naruto winced and his cheeks flushed. He had not wanted for Gaara to find out about his money problems. If there was one thing Naruto hated, it was charity. But at least his debts were paid, so there was one less thing to worry about.

"...So what now?" Naruto didn't really know where to go from here. On one hand, he wanted to know Gaara's whereabouts. But on the other hand, he wanted to avoid Gaara for shame was still very much embedded in him. And he didn't want to face Gaara...not the way he was now.

Kakashi rubbed his bottom lip with his thumb and observed Naruto, a sadistic glint in his eyes.

"Now...you meet with Gaara."

ooooooooooooooooooooo

Naruto sighed for the upteenth time as he walked back to the apartment. After his conversation with Kakashi, Naruto had gone back to work but was unable to focus on anything. He kept feeling Sai's questioning glances but he did his best at ignoring them. He was in no state to talk to anyone at the moment. He just wanted to be alone and think. Unfortunately, he knew Sasuke would probably be home by now and would start questioning him. He knew he had a vacant look on his face and he knew that he had to keep this from Sasuke at all costs. Naruto didn't want Sasuke to find out about Gaara or what had happened between them. The truth was, Naruto didn't want Sasuke to find out about his past at all. It would reopen cauterized wounds and Naruto didn't want to remember. He hoped that Kakashi kept his mouth shut about finding him. He couldn't handle seeing Gaara any time soon.

He stopped a few blocks away from the apartment and instead turned around to head into a nearby park. It was night and the stars were out, sparkling in the sky like diamonds. Naruto looked around the park and found it deserted. Good. He needed the quiet. He walked over to the swings and sat on one, his feet slightly pushing him to and fro. Naruto looked up at the sky and inhaled the fresh scent of grass and blooming flowers. His hands grasped the chains of the swing tightly and Naruto grit his teeth.

He felt the oncoming tears and blinked fast to stop them from falling. He didn't want to cry. He hadn't _really _cried in years. But finding out that Gaara was back was too overwhelming and images of another man that he kept trying to forget flooded his mind.

_"Naruto..." _the reminder of a soft caress on his cheek.

_Fuckfuckfuckfuck._

Naruto thought that he could live a peaceful life with Sasuke for a while. He thought that Sasuke might've helped him forget painful memories. But Sasuke was no healer, Naruto realized. His wounds would have to heal on their own.

Naruto didn't know what to do about Gaara. Back then, Gaara was his everything. Gaara was the only one he could trust. Truth be told, Naruto had missed Gaara so _so _much during the time that he was away. But Naruto didn't want to show Gaara his shameful face. After taking care of him and looking out for him, he feared that Gaara would be disappointed in him. He wasn't ready to see any kind of disappointment in Gaara's eyes.

Naruto would talk to him. Just...not yet.

He wasn't ready yet.

Naruto put his head in his hands and breathed shakily. His hands grabbed onto the chains again and his feet tensed. He pushed himself up on the swing, as far as he could and let go, feeling the wind hitting his face.

For now, he will try to forget.

ooooooooooooooooooooo

Sasuke tapped his foot impatiently and looked at the clock on the side of the bed. It was midnight and Naruto still hadn't returned. His shift was supposed to have ended three hours ago and the walk back to apartment certainly didn't take that long. Irritated and just plain pissed off, Sasuke had called the store in a desperate attempt to find out if Naruto was still there. Sai had picked up and had informed him that Naruto had left right after his shift ended.

He had also mentioned that Naruto had a run in with an 'acquaitance' of his and had stepped out to talk to him. Moments later, Naruto had returned, solemn and quiet. Sasuke, although he would never openly admit it, was _kind of_ worried.

Who was that acquaintance? Their discussion must've been serious if Naruto had returned without saying a word.

A quiet Naruto was never a good thing.

And to top it all off, Naruto wasn't even back yet. The blond was a master at running into precarious situations and often got himself into trouble anywhere he went. It was an annoying trait, one that Sasuke had insisted that he change lest he get himself into a mess he couldn't get out of.

So now, Sasuke was _semi _worried and _kind of_ freaking out. He had called Naruto's cellphone fifteen times in the last two hours but the blond hadn't picked up. Not once.

What if he was beaten up and was now lying in a ditch?

What if someone had kidnapped him?

Sasuke did not have a good imagination, not one as good as Naruto's anyway, but that didn't stop his mind from coming up with different scenerios. Tired of sitting around and waiting for the blond, he grabbed a light jacket and stepped out to find him. He was heading to the stairs when he heard soft snores. Curious, he walked towards the noise and found the person he was looking for.

The blond had fallen asleep on the stairs.

His blond hair was in disarray and his clothes looked disheveled. The messanger bag that Naruto usually carried around was thrown on the ground, the contents spilling out.

Sasuke didn't know whether to be even more pissed off or relieved. Settling for pissed off he marched over to Naruto and cuffed him on the back of his head. Naruto yelled out and grabbed his head, opening his eyes to reveal dazed blue eyes.

Sasuke grabbed Naruto by his shirt and pulled him up roughly.

"What the fuck are you doing laying here?"

Naruto's eyes slitted and started to mumble sleepily "Whaa...Sas...uke? Whatareyoudoin'?"

"You fucking bastard! Why the fuck are you out here?"

"Nnmmm...shut...up. So sleepy." Naruto then closed his eyes and went back to sleep. Sasuke cursed "Fucking moron." Sasuke grabbed Naruto and dragged him off to bed, wrapping his arm around Naruto's waist. Sasuke pushed Naruto onto the bed and tried to wake him up.

"Wake the fuck up. You have to change your clothes or you'll end up feeling uncomfortable when you wake up."

Naruto mumbled and snuggled into Sasuke's pillow instead.

Sasuke sighed, irritated that he had to take care of such a child. He sat down on the bed and reached down to take Naruto's shoes off. Then he pulled off his pants and his shirt, leaving him in his tank top and boxers. Sasuke tried to do this as fast as he could, without getting distracted by the smooth tan skin that was revealed. He grabbed the covers and pulled them over Naruto, tucking him in.

Sasuke didn't know why he was taking care of the blond, seeing as he was pissed off. But his relief probably overrode his anger and so he conceded defeat. He was about to get off the bed to turn of the light when Naruto turned over to face Sasuke and grabbed his hand. Sasuke was surprised but permitted Naruto to grab it. Naruto interlaced their fingers, eyes closed and mumbled "Hold my hand...until I fall asleep..."

In Naruto's mind, a man with red hair and green eyes appeared.

_Before, whenever...I was scared...he was always the one to hold my hand._

ooooooooooooooooooooo

Sasuke stayed, hand interlaced with Naruto's, until the blond fell asleep. He observed him, the blond hair and the long golden lashes. Naruto, if he was honest to himself, was stunning.

Not stunning like a movie star or a model.

But stunning, like a flower that had barely bloomed. Stunning, like the moon and the stars. He was stunning in a way that captivated people and attracted them to him.

Although the blond used coarse language and was a trouble maker, one could not deny that he radiated a sort of innocence. Innocence was no so easily found but Naruto was living proof that it existed.

And Sasuke was captivated. Oh, so captivated. He was captivated by the blue eyes that sparkled when he laughed or the full lips that formed a natural pout. Everything about Naruto, captivated Sasuke.

He didn't want to admit it, but it was the truth.

It was not love. Nor like. But a mere _fascination._

So Sasuke leaned over and placed a soft kiss upon Naruto's lips.

ooooooooooooooooooooo

Naruto awoke to the rays of sunlight hitting his face. He groaned, not wanting to get up for he was comfortably warm. Unfortunately, he had to wake up because his bladder was about ready to burst. He sat up, rubbing his eyes and realized that he was on Sasuke's bed. Confused and still groggy Naruto walked to the bathroom to relieve himself. Finishing that, he stumbled into the kitchen, smelling toast and eggs.

Seeing Sasuke, Naruto rubbed his eyes, wondering if he was dreaming. Sasuke never cooked. In the time that Naruto had moved in, Sasuke always pushed Naruto to cook.

_The fucking bastard..._

"Uh...sorry I slept in your bed." Naruto rubbed the back of his neck with his hand.

Sasuke turned around and raised an eyebrow "Sorry?"

Naruto yawned "Uh huh...I thought you didn't want me to sleep on your bed?"

"It's just a bed dobe." Sasuke turned back to the eggs frying on the stove, flipping them before they could burn.

"I know...it's just...nothing. I'm just trying hard not to overstep my boundaries." Naruto turned around and headed to the bathroom. He should probably wash up before eating because he smelt like sweat and cigarette smoke.

ooooooooooooooooooooo

The silverware clinked as they ate silently. Naruto knew that Sasuke wanted to ask some questions but he wasn't ready to talk yet. He ignored Sasuke's glances and looked at his plate as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. When he got up to take his plate over to the sink he was stopped by Sasuke's hand on his elbow.

"I come from a strict family. There's only my father, my older brother and I. My mother died when I was young but it wasn't a great loss because she never paid much attention to us anyway. My father is a strict man, always demanding the best from us. My older brother was always his favorite because he's perfect at everything. I grew tired of living a monotonous life and I grew tired of my father's expectations."

Naruto had sat back down and was giving Sasuke his undivided attention. He didn't know why Sasuke was willing to divulge about his life right now but Naruto wasn't going to complain. It gave him a better opportunity of understanding the raven.

"So I left." Sasuke stared at Naruto intently, his eyes drilling into Naruto's.

Naruto couldn't handle such intensity and his gaze dropped to the wooden table.

"You left? Wouldn't they be lonely?" Naruto had to ask.

Sasuke chuckled mockingly "Of course not. They have my sister-in-law after all."

"Why...are you telling me all this? Cooking me breakfast...and letting me sleep on your bed?"

Sasuke stayed silent for a while, still staring at Naruto.

"What happened last night? I called the store yesterday because you hadn't returned and Sai told me about a friend of yours. He also told me how weird you were behaving after talking to him."

Naruto should've known. He should've seen something like this coming. He had hoped that Sasuke wouldn't ask but hoping proved fruitless.

"Ah...that guy? He's just...a friend. I hadn't seen him in such a long time and I was excited to talk to him, y'know," Naruto got up and started walking back to the bedroom to get dressed "anyway, thanks for breakfast."

Naruto smiled but Sasuke quickly noticed that it was hollow and did not reach his eyes. As Naruto turned back around, Sasuke got up too and grabbed Naruto arm to pull him back.

"Why the fuck are you lying? Why can't you fucking tell me?"

Naruto flushed in anger, his eyes narrowed.

"Just because you spilled your life story out doesn't mean that I have to do it too! I have my own priacy dammit!"

Sasuke growled and grabbed Naruto and wrestled him to the floor.

"I think you should just stop being such a goddamn dumbass and either sleep or drink because everytime you open your goddamn mouth you piss me off!"

By this time Naruto was face down on the floor, his arms flailing around as he tried to smack Sasuke in the face with one of them. Sasuke was straddling Naruto's back and was pulling on his hair. Sasuke's grip slackened though, as he realized what he had just said. Naruto stopped struggling and shut his mouth.

Sasuke should learn how to think before he spoke. He mentally smacked himself.

Naruto sighed, beneath him "I think...I understand..."

Sasuke blanched.

_Understand what?_

"You're just worried about me..." Naruto started. Sasuke sighed in relief. "It's not anything big...I didn't think that you needed to know about it. I'm sorry...I didn't think you would worry so much about me but..." Naruto started to laugh.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow in question. He got off Naruto and sat on the ground. Naruto sat up and leaned his back against Sasuke's side.

"I'm just...happy. I thought that nobody would want to be by my side ever again." Naruto bit his lip ,"Sasuke...we're friends, right? Whatever happens...you won't leave me, right?" Naruto looked up at Sasuke, anxious eyes wide.

Sasuke looked at Naruto. It seemed that the blond was hiding something from him but for now he would not question it. Naruto would eventually open up. Sasuke looked away and snorted "Dobe, if you become any more annoying I can still kick you out."

Naruto laughed, knowing that Sasuke wouldn't.

"Ne, you're so shy!" Naruto started poking Sasuke in the side. Sasuke grabbed his wrist to stop him and Naruto looked up at him.

Sasuke took in Naruto's features greedily.

_To be swept away from these emotions I'm feeling...what am I feeling?_

Sasuke stroked Naruto's face with his hand and Naruto blushed. Sasuke smirked and stood up, holding his hand out to Naruto. Naruto shyly took it and pulled himself up.

Sasuke turned to Naruto "Naruto...there's no barriers between us anymore. You've overstepped them all already. I won't complain about something so trivial like that but understand that it won't be easy to leave anymore. All I want in return is for you to open up."

Sasuke reached to tug on Naruto's hair and walked back into his bedroom, leaving Naruto in the hallway.

ooooooooooooooooooooo

A/N: Ok, I've had someone mention this to me before, about Naruto always being very...cocky about his appearance. LOL. It's not meant to come across that way, Naruto doesn't mean it seriously. Naruto just likes to mess around with people a lot, and even though he is a hottie, he doesn't notice it much (because although he pretends to be cocky he really has no idea how sexy he is). Get it, got it, good.

ALSO, while on break today at work I got to thinking about my long journey as a yaoi fangirl. You guys...it has officially been three years since I got converted. Squeal. I can no longer read heterosexual fanfictions for they happen to bore me to death. And I do not regret a thing.

Dear readers, I'd like to know how you got converted. Tell me your stories, I wanna know them all.

Until next time!


	5. Memories

A/N: I got lost on the road of life.

What?

Why are you looking at me like that? It's true. Hmph.

I want to thank all of you who have been checking out my one-shots, especially my new one "Damn Teme". I didn't think that people would like it all that much, but you all proved me wrong.

If you haven't read it, check it out! Now continuing on with the story...

Disclaimer: not mine, not mine, not mine, not mine.

Warnings: May contain spelling and punctuation errors. I apologize.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

_Gaara...Gaara...Gaara..._

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Naruto sighed for the upteenth time. He couldn't believe he was stuck.

Like literally, stuck.

How he even got into such a situation, he didn't know but he should've known well enough not to be surprised anymore. He was after all, Naruto Uzumaki, king of the unpredictable and disasterous events.

So there he was, minding his own business, enjoying his day off the fullest extent, without Sasuke Uchiha there to ruin his good mood. Because let's face it, Sasuke just being Sasuke would ruin just about anybody's mood, period.

But that's beside the point.

The point being that, at some point, between relaxing and wondering what he was going to eat, he had the sudden amazing idea of looking into the couch for souvenirs.

He used to do it all the time before when he was a kid, so why the hell not?

Later on, when he had gotten himself stuck in between the cushions of the couch he remembered why he never did it anymore.

His now 21 year old body was now very much different from his 10 year old one. Well how was Naruto supposed to know? He didn't make a habit of measuring his body inch by goddamn inch each year.

10 minutes later, still stuck in between the cushions that Naruto dubbed the 'killer cushions', Naruto turned the blame to the owner of the couch.

That's right. Uchiha motherfucking Sasuke.

Naruto sighed again. Twenty minutes and counting. Any more time along and Naruto feared that he would be imprinted forever upon the marrow of the couch.

Naruto closed his eyes and tried to ignore the suffocating feeling that was slowly surfacing.

The cushions really weren't that bad. What Naruto was afraid of wasn't the couch, nor the fact that the fucking Uchiha would probably laugh and point once he saw him. No, what Naruto was afraid of were the memories that always resurfaced whenever he was alone for too long.

Because the truth was, no amount of company could ever make them disappear. And that was the scariest part. Remembering, reliving those painful memories.

Naruto bit the inside of his cheek hard and ignored the metallic taste of blood.

oooooooooooooooooooo

_"You fucking bastard!" _

_"How dare you show up here!"_

_Naruto lowered his gaze to the floor out of shame. He knew he shouldn't have showed up but he really had no choice. Where else was he supposed to go? He had nowhere else to go. Nobody would be there waiting for him. _

_He had nothing. He lost everything._

_"Why Gaara even stuck by you, we have no idea. But he's gone now because of you! How dare you show your face after what you did to him!"_

_Naruto blinked away the oncoming tears. It wasn't his fault. How was he to know? He would go back and change the outcome if he could. He would give up everything just to be able to make everything go back to normal._

_He'd do anything to free Gaara._

_oooooooooooooooooooooooooo_

_Naruto bit his lip as he looked up at the blinking lights of the pawn shop. He knew he shouldn't be here, it could prove to be very dangerous but it was his only choice at the moment. He had to do SOMETHING. The guilt was knawing at him and he couldn't just stand around not doing anything._

_It was his fault after all. Always always always._

_He took a deep breath, the wind rustling his hair, and grabbed the door. The cold metal chilled his skin, making goosebumps appear. Naruto tightened his thin sweater around him and yanked the door open, almost hitting himself in the face. Setting his face into a glare, he walked up to the man behind the cash register and tried to ignore the inner turmoil going on in his mind._

_He squared his shoulders and opened his mouth,"I'm here to see Kakashi."_

_The man looked up and gave him a quick look over, a sneer appearing on his face._

_"Go home boy. This ain't a place for ya."_

_Naruto narrowed his eyes._

_He had come this close. He'd be damned if some fucker tried to stop him now. He'd get the money or damned if he didn't._

_He'd get it no matter what._

_ooooooooooooooooooooo_

_Naruto punched the door, his knuckles bleeding. _

_Fuckfuckfuckfuck._

_After groveling and begging, after all that fucking damn trouble._

_How was it possible to arrive to this? How was the money not where he left it?_

_That money that he sold his life for. That money that was supposed to give him back Gaara!_

_How the fuck...fuckfuckfuck._

_All that pain. His fucking pride. His motherfucking pride was all he had left and now it was gone. And for what? For fucking nothing._

_Naruto slid to the floor, his forehead resting on the door. He gave a choked sob and pounded on the door with his closed fists. He ignored the wetness trailing down his scarred cheeks. He squeezed his eyes shut, mouth open in a silent scream. _

_Fuck. Fuck. Fuck._

_ooooooooooooooooooooooo_

_The lights were blinding but he didn't care. He didn't mind the darkness nor the bodies that moved against each other. He didn't mind the near orgy nor the smell of smoke, sweat, or sex. He ignored the beckoning calls and headed over to the bar and ordered a drink. He needed the strongest drink they had. _

_He sat down on the stool and threw his head back as he knocked back his drink. He ran his fingers through his unruly hair and circled the rim of the glass with his slender fingers. He stopped as he felt a hand grab onto his shoulder and he looked over to a man with dreads. He raised his eyebrow, wanting to snicker. _

_Really, he had never really seen a white man with dreads. Now he knew why. It was slightly ridiculous._

_The man smiled, his white teeth glinting in the darkness of the club,"Hey. You got any place to go to? I have a spare room at my place."_

_Naruto turned away from the man but let the man lead him away. _

_He had just about given up._

_The world was cruel, filled with hatred and misunderstandings. _

_It wasn't fair nor did he expect it to be so._

_Half of him had given up, but that other part; that stubborn part, refused to. _

_And so he ran far away from the memories. As far away as he could. _

_He refused to let them ruin him._

oooooooooooooooooooooo

Naruto perked up as he heard the doorknob jiggle. He heard the familiar cursing on the other side of the door and a loud slam.

The blond rolled his eyes. Typical bastard.

He heard the footsteps nearing the living room and he gulped as he heard them stop beside him. He was scared to turn his head. The bastard could always use this as ammunition. Damn him.

Damn him and damn his decision to buy this blasted couch.

It started as a snort. Then he heard the snickers.

"What the fuck are you doing dobe?"

Naruto turned his head as far as he could and glared at the raven. Here he was, stuck, and all the bastard was doing was laughing at him!

"Teme! You can make fun of me later but at least let me out of this thing!" he huffed, his bottom lip sticking out in petulance.

The raven smirked and grabbed Naruto by the arms and hauled him out.

How the hell the idiot got himself stuck in between the sofa cushions, he didn't know. But that wouldn't stop him from giving him hell for it.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

The redhead looked over the crowd of the people. When he didn't spot the bright blond he was looking for he grabbed his bag and walked away. He refused to deal with imbeciles who weren't the one he was looking for.

Where could Naruto be? He had looked everywhere possible but no matter how hard he looked, he came up with nothing.

How was that possible?

He narrowed his green eyes and continued on his way.

He'd find him eventually.

He was sure of it.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

A/N: Eh, that was short. I'm so sorry. You guys must hate me. I disappeared off the planet for a few weeks and then I gave you this shittastic chapter. I'm working on the next one though! I swear! Just let me get through this hectic week of testing and then everything will go back to normal ok?

Also, I really liked some of the reviews that you guys sent me, telling me about your stories They were entertaining!

Please review. Seriously. (sigh)


	6. Denial Denial Denial

A/N: Ok...so I said I would try to update sooner, I'm sorry! Blame the stupid final exams. I haven't had any time nor had I had any sleep. I've been so busy like you wouldn't believe. Hopefully with this break I'll be able to update more regularly so hang in there with me, ok?

Warnings: You're here...you should know what this is about.

Disclaimer: Not mine, not mine, not mine.

Status: Unbeta-ed. Please don't set the grammar police on me.

oooooooooooooooooo

_I think I'm in love_

_But it makes me kinda nervous to say so_

_I think I'm in love_

_But it makes me kinda nervous to say so_

_Think I'm In Love - Beck_

oooooooooooooooooo

Sasuke smirked as he walked over to Naruto, who was bent over the stove concentrating on stirring the stew. He stopped right behind the blond, his hands reaching to wrap around his slim waist, tugging him back to topple slightly onto him. The blond jerked in surprise and turned his head to glare at the raven, his blue eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Dobe. We should celebrate."

Naruto raised a blond brow and noticed that Sasuke still hadn't loosened his grip around his waist. He sighed, his hand still mindlessly stirring the stew.

"Celebrate...for what?"

"Why, for my amazing recovery of course. I know that you'll miss aiding me in my basic everyday routine but unfortunately I can manage on my own." Sasuke leaned down to rest his chin on Naruto's shoulder.

Naruto squirmed, slightly uncomfortable and confused as to why Sasuke was so touchy all of a sudden. He looked down instead and noticed why Sasuke was in a good mood. His leg, which up until recently was covered in a white cast, was now free of any confinement. His blue eyes widened.

That meant no more daily suffering. Which meant, no more having to bathe Sasuke. Which meant, no more having to be at the raven's beck and call. Which also meant, more free time for him.

Which definitely meant, time for more food.

Naruto didn't even bother to hide the huge stupid grin on his face. He didn't even mind that Sasuke had yet to let go of him. Instead, he leaned back and sighed contently. Yes, he could definitely work with that.

ooooooooooooooooooo

The smell of heavy copulation was evident in the thick air. Breathy sighs and soft moans echoed throughout the room as the bed creaked slightly. The headboard banged against the wall and Sasuke's arms flexed as he held himself up, his hips pistoning into the small pliant body beneath him.

He looked down at the tan face, his dark eyes devouring the blue eyes hooded in lust, and the blond hair mussed by the constant head tossing.

He closed his eyes and groaned, his release close. He couldn't hold it off anymore.

He pulled out and jerked himself into completion, his seed spilling onto the creamy tan skin. He rolled over and tried to catch his breath, his body relaxing as ran a hand through his wet hair. He didn't rest for long, he quickly sat up on the edge of the bed and started pulling his clothes back on, ignoring the glare on his back.

"Don't tell me you're going to leave just like that," the blond haired woman snorted in disgust.

Really, he wasn't sure if women were actually stupid or if they just liked acting like it.

He just immediately assumed that they really were stupid because they were always asking stupid questions. Well, the women that he had met in his lifetime anyway.

"I have to leave. I've recently picked up a stray cat and I have to look after it otherwise it might run away if I take my eyes off him."

He laced up his sneakers and walked towards the door, wrinkling his nose at the strong smell of cheap perfume.

"Oh, by the way, don't contact me ever again."

He gave her a mocking backwards wave and left, wanting to get back home as soon as possible.

Naruto.

_Naruto._

oooooooooooooooooooo

Naruto was flipping through a magazine, his eyebrows scrunched up in curiousity as he pulled a flap open to take a whiff of a sample perfume.

Huh.

He shrugged and leaned back, his shoulders relaxing as he let the magazine drop onto his lap, his head falling back onto the head of the couch. It was his day off and he was making use of it to the fullest.

No tedious labor and no Sasuke to be seen.

Life was perfect.

His blue eyes darkened just a shade as his mind wandered to once forgotten memories.

Well, almost perfect. As perfect as things could be at the moment anyway.

He'd take that over anything really.

He closed his eyes and sighed, preparing himself for a much needed nap. He twitched as he heard the loud slamming of the front door and instead prepared himself to deal with a snappy and bastardly teme.

Before he could even open his eyes, he felt a heavy weight fall on top of him.

"Oompf. What the hell teme? You're fucking heavy!"

The raven that was attatched to his waist didn't respond and nuzzled his face into Naruto's waist.

The blond opened his eyes momentarily before shutting them once more, more determined to fall asleep now. He grimanced however when the smell of perfume hit his nostrils.

His eyebrow twitched.

"Teme. You stink."

Sasuke stopped nuzzling into Naruto's stomach and stilled.

"It's ok if you want to go have fun but at least have the decency to clean up beforehand. You reek of cheap perfume and it's making my eyes water." And with a twist of his hand, he pushed Sasuke off of him and stalked over to the bedroom, hoping to finally be able to get that damn nap.

ooooooooooooooooo

Sasuke ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

Damn. He had pissed off Naruto and now he was probably going to act like a child and ignore him for the rest of the day.

It certainly wouldn't be the first time, after all, Sasuke prided himself on being a bastard.

He knew he should've at least cleaned up before going back to the apartment but he had felt a strange desperation to feel near Naruto as soon as possible.

He wasn't lying to the woman, Naruto really was like a cat.

He felt an insecurity deep within him that told him that Naruto could disappear just as quick as he appeared into his life.

There was one thing that Sasuke definitely wasn't and that was a coward. Throughout his life he had made sure not to depend too much on anyone, not even his family. To hand that trust to someone was too big of a responsibility and he wasn't sure that the person in question would look after his wellbeing.

It seemed like a cowardly thing to do but he couldn't risk it. It involved opening himself up and risking himself to pain. And there was always a possibility that the pain would never go away after the damage was done.

No, no, no.

Definitely couldn't risk it.

But dammit if Naruto wasn't worming his way into every corner of his life.

And sleeping with that woman was a mistake...one that he would not commit once again, of that he would make sure.

But dammit if he wasn't a sucker for blond hair and blue eyes.

_Damn dobe._

ooooooooooooooooooo

A/N: Alright, I know that some of you may be cursing me at this point, but I have a perfectly good explanation! This is only the first part, the second part will be up tomorrow.

Also, I need some advice: What do you do when you fall in love with a person that is definitely not looking for a serious relationship (or so it seems)? -sigh-


	7. Past Vs Future

A/N: I realize I haven't updated in over a year…I'm so sorry! My grandmother passed away and I've been in a funk ever since, sadly. But I have started writing again, especially, editing old stories that haven't been updated in years. The need to write hit me then and I ended up writing an epilogue for "Damn Teme" and whaddaya know, inspiration hit me for this story too.

I'll try updating more often, my boyfriend now knows of my secret fanfiction life and has been begging to read my stories, slash or not.

Ah, that is love.

Let's get this show on the road.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto nor do I own The Summit.  
>Warnings: Slash, violence, language, etc., etc.<p>

Excuse any mistakes, this was unbeta-ed in my hurry to get this up ASAP.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOO

_I sure don't  
>Mind a change<br>But I fell on black  
>Days<br>How would I know  
>That this could be<br>My fate_

_Fell On Black Days - Soundgarden_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOO

Naruto felt his hair rise at the back of his neck.

He had a bad feeling. He had woken up late for work, almost broke his neck while showering, and experienced a near death experience as his absent-mindedness almost got him killed.

Throughout the day, his luck only seemed to worsen and the bad feeling in his stomach didn't go away. In fact, the weight of it in his stomach seemed to have gotten heavier.

Now, Naruto wasn't overly superstitious nor did believe in coincidences. But he swear, he had seen a hooded man watching him. Not just once, not twice, not even three times.

But four times.

Naruto being, well Naruto, was actually used to this, as sad as it was. He's had stalkers before, because let's admit it; Naruto was a fucking gorgeous piece of ass, who wouldn't want to tap that? However, it didn't mean that he was all too comfortable with it. He didn't think he'd ever be comfortable about it, in what world would anyone be happy with someone stalking them?

This wasn't fucking Twilight and he wasn't no fucking Bella Swan.

Stalkers were only romantic in romance novels that deprived middle-aged women loved to write.

Naruto wasn't a romance novelist either, so, stalkers?

Yeah, count him out; as long as they looked from afar and didn't try anything else, he was satisfied. Not entirely so, but enough that he could pretend that he didn't know he was being watched.

There was a really bad feeling he got from this certain hooded stranger though, he didn't know why. Maybe it was because the hood obstructed his face. Perhaps it was because he seemed imposing even from afar. He could feel the other's eyes burning a hole into him and the feeling wasn't all that pleasant.

He ignored the man, as the stature hadn't suggested anything but, and for a while, it was easy, he almost hadn't noticed the man. The first time he saw him, he was at the back of the store, leaning against the glass window with a magazine in his hand. The man had left a short while after that. The second time Naruto had seen him, was when he had heard the 'ding' of the bell at the door and then spotted the familiar hoodie looking at drinks. He left 5 minutes later. The third time Naruto had noticed him, was when he spotted the man talking on his phone, outside of the store. It had already gotten dark out by that time and the hood covering his face didn't help but he knew the man was looking at him as he spoke on the phone. The mysterious hoodie guy walked away 10 minutes later.

But now he was back and he wasn't even trying to keep his staring a secret. It was kind of unsettling.

The stranger hadn't tried anything, but the unspoken _'yet´_ lingered in his mind.

So, it was with jerky movement that he stuffed a customer's bag with his purchased items. His shift was almost over and Sasuke should've gotten home by now.

Recently, the brunette had been acting strangely. Not to say that the damn teme wasn't strange enough already but his behavior as of late seemed even more strange than usual, if that was possible. He had become more touchy feely and it was with surprise that Naruto had realized that Sasuke seemed to cling to him. Not in an overbearing way, mind you, but kind of like a kitten that wanted attention. Naruto didn't really mind, he was a touchy feely person himself. But the Sasuke he met before and the Sasuke he knew know seemed almost like two completely different people.

If it wasn't for the unchanging taunts, snarky remarks, and sarcasm, Naruto would say that the real Sasuke had been kidnapped and replaced with a clone. He had tried asking Sasuke about it before but the teme smacked him and told him that he was imagining stuff.

Naruto Uzumaki didn't imagine stuff.

Sure, in third grade he had thought that he had seen a spider on one of his classmate's head. And ok, maybe it turned out to just be a really ugly hairbow. But the point of this story was that, Naruto didn't just "imagine" stuff without there being a reason for it. He wish he could ask Sasuke again.

But then again, he didn't want to get kicked out of bed because he had gotten smacked too hard.

Naruto winced in pain at the reminder of it and sighed in relief as he bagged his last customer's things. Sai was working in the back, doing inventory and had left Naruto up front to manage the customers.

Naruto really knew it was just an excuse so Sai could be lazy.

He looked up at the clock and saw that it was 5 minutes to the end of his shift. Naruto grinned to himself and untied his work apron from himself and hung it up on hanger. He looked around and realized with surprise that the hooded stranger had left. His brows furrowed and he didn't know why he felt a sudden fear pulse through him.

Maybe everybody was right. Maybe everything was just in his imagination.

Shaking his head, confused as to why he had been gripped by such an inexplicable fear, Naruto grabbed his jacket and headed to the back to say his goodbyes to Sai. He found him lost amongst the boxes and Sai merely grunted a goodbye as he continued checking inventory.

Naruto stepped out the store, tightening his jacket around himself as a breeze hit him.

He wondered briefly if he should stop by the Chinese restaurant nearby to order some food to take home to Sasuke. Damn bastard would probably throw a bitch fit about it if Naruto came home empty-handed again. Not that the fucking bastard even deserved it but fuck, he was hungry too.

Two birds, one stone, right?

Naruto walked along the sidewalk, streetlights dimply lit alongside him. He looked up at the stars and appreciated the beauty of it before focusing on his feet, lest he trip, fall on his face and embarrass himself. The only sound he heard was the scuff of his shoes against the gravel beneath his feet, crickets chirping and the distant sound of the city behind him.

He felt his pocket vibrate and pulled his phone out in surprise. Blue eyes rolled as _'Sasuke'_ flashed on the screen. Damn teme, always checking up on him. Naruto ignored the call and kept on walking, he could probably make it to the restaurant and be back home by ten, if he hurried.

It was with shock that Naruto realized that there were footsteps behind him. By the time Naruto had realized that something was very wrong, it was too late.

He heard the distinct 'clank' as his phone hit the ground.

A hand covered his mouth, an arm pulled him back and a blindfold appeared in front of his eyes.

Naruto was lost in the darkness.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOO

Sasuke glanced up from the TV at the clock that hung above it.

Ten o'clock.

Naruto's shift had ended an hour ago and he should've been back home by now. He had tried calling the idiot countless of times since then but the damn fucker never answered. It wasn't the first time it had happened, the blond was known for ignoring his calls most of the time, just because he could. He didn't know why the fucker even bothered with a phone, he never even used It much for anything.

Then again, if Naruto didn't have a phone, Sasuke would've probably strangled him out of frustration.

What? It was possible.

Sasuke looked at the clock again, thinking that he might've messed up the time, but narrowed his eyes when he realized that he had been right the first time. A pale hand reached up to run through black hair and Sasuke sighed heavily.

Looking after Naruto was a lot like looking after a kid.

Not that Sasuke had any experience with children, just the mere thought of it made him shudder in horror.

Although Naruto was older than him, he was still moronic. Sometimes Sasuke had to remind himself that yes, Naruto was older, but also, yes, Naruto was an idiot. Naruto, with his secrets.

Oh what Sasuke would do to know all of Naruto's secrets.

He didn't think that he knew, but oh, Sasuke did. He'd see when those blue eyes would glaze over in memory, clouding over with emotions that Sasuke was surprised Naruto even had.

He wanted to know absolutely everything about the blond, down to his dirty secrets.

Sasuke had to commend himself; he had patience. Not much, since he was an impatient bastard and he hated having to wait for anything because he was more of a "don't waste time" bullshitter but he had enough. He had to have patience, if he wanted to deal with Naruto.

Because seriously, that fucking idiot was not easy to handle.

But dammit if he wasn't so fucking pretty.

Snapping himself out of his thoughts, Sasuke grabbed his jacket, his phone and his keys. Naruto might've fallen asleep halfway on his way home and as much as Sasuke would've liked leaving him out, he knew the blond would give him hell if he caught a cold later on.

Sasuke wasn't worried. Not at all. And if anyone said he was, he'd kick their ass because he hated liars.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOO

Naruto struggled to move.

His hands were tied behind his back and his feet were tied to keep from kicking out. Duct tape covered his mouth and Naruto cringed at the hard feel of it against his mouth. Apparently whoever had taken him, had thought it out very well.

Fucking dammit.

Naruto was very close to having a panic attack but knew that it wouldn't help in any way if he did. He knew he should've trusted his instincts but instead brushed it off, blaming his overactive imagination.

He would kick himself if could.

But seeing as he was tied up and normally, he couldn't do it even if he wasn't tied up, he didn't.

He had no idea how the fuck he was going to get himself out of this, he didn't know who had taken him and he didn't know where he was.

All he knew was that he was now in a car, on his way somewhere, probably somewhere abandoned because bad things always happened to good people in abandoned places.

_Fuck._

See and this was precisely why he didn't like watching scary movies. Because now all possible scenarios were passing through his mind and Naruto really didn't know what he would do if he ended up in a scene like "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre".

And now he was blaming Sasuke, mostly because he didn't have anyone else to blame at the moment and also because he missed him.

Just a little, he admitted with reluctance.

He wondered if Sasuke had noticed him missing already. He wondered if he was looking for him. Even though the search would be fruitless, it gave him a warm feelings thinking about a worried Sasuke searching for him.

Not that he'd ever admit it. Not even to himself.

Right now, Naruto had to focus on getting away. He wasn't sure how he was going to do it but he'd be damned if he went down without a fight, "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" be damned, Leatherface had nothing on him.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO O

Sasuke ran into the convenience store Naruto worked at, almost crashing into the glass door in his hurry. Sai looked up from his reading from the counter, raised an eyebrow in a silent question.

"Is Naruto here?" Sasuke asked.

He knew he wasn't, he just knew, but he had to ask, a small part of him hoping that he was wrong.

Sasuke watched Sai frown in confusion, his forehead wrinkled.

"He left an hour ago…"

And that was enough for Sasuke to know there was something wrong.

_Fuckfuckfuckfuck!_

"…he hasn't come home. I've been calling him but he hasn't answered any of my calls. I thought he might've worked until late," Sasuke felt the need to explain.

With great reluctance. Sai and Sasuke didn't exactly get along. They looked a bit alike but that was where the similarities stopped.

"He left as soon as his shift finished, however, he seemed a bit off. He's been acting rather strangely today, I thought both of you had gotten into another fight," Sai glared at Sasuke, his worry for Naruto winning out.

Sasuke felt at a loss. He had a feeling that he was missing something, something that was right in front of him, but he didn't know what. How the fuck was he going to find Naruto if he didn't even know where to fucking start?!

Sasuke ran his hands over his face in frustration. He was imagining Naruto dead in a ditch somewhere.

"There was someone here…earlier. I noticed that he seemed to be coming around a lot lately. He was very suspicious, his face was hidden and he kept watching Naruto. I didn't think too much of it, Naruto always attracts people but there was something different about this man," Sai closed his book.

_A man? _

Dammit. Fucking hell, shit.

Sasuke remembered Naruto mentioning that he had a lot of enemies before. He had debts and debt collectors were after him. Sasuke knew close to nothing about Naruto. He never talked about his family, friends, or anything even remotely related to personal. There was absolutely no way that Sasuke could even begin to find out where Naruto was.

Sasuke vowed that when he found Naruto, they'd have a long talk about Naruto's personal life because there was no way he was going to stand back and let something like this happen once again.

Sasuke was going to find Naruto, there was no "and" "ifs" or "buts" about it, he didn't know where he was going to begin but he knew that by the end of the night, he'd have Naruto back home with him or go on a killing spree.

Sasuke heard the distant 'ding' of the bell and he turned around at the same time that Sai did. There was a silver haired man walking up the counter and Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

He looked oddly familiar but he was sure that he had never seen him before. Sasuke studied his hair and his eyes as the man looked at Sai.

"Blondie not here today?" Sai looked surprised and his eyes also narrowed at the man.

Sasuke felt recognition hit him and he finally realized. He couldn't recall, because he had never seen the man's face fully.

But this man, he had seen him before. First, in the train station where he had met Naruto and then, at Naruto's apartment.

Sasuke glanced at Sai and Sai gave him a small nod. Sasuke moved fast and grabbed the man by his neck, his arms wrapping around him in a strong hold. Sai reached behind the counter to grab a bat and held it menacingly in the man's face. The man in his grasp stood still in surprise and then began to struggle. Sasuke leaned into the man, head dipping to whisper harshly into his ear "Where's Naruto?"

The man struggled and gasped, "I don't know, I swear. But I can find out."

Sasuke loosened his grip slightly. Sai stepped away to lock the door and let down the blinds to assure they not be disturbed.

"You have 5 minutes. Talk," and with that Sasuke let the man go. He was taking his chances and he really didn't have the patience to deal with any of this but this man was his only lead and dammit to hell if he wasn't going to use it.

The man straightened up, his eyebrow rising in cocky defiance. His mouth was a firm line as he stood outnumbered, knowing that the best way was to just agree and go along. He didn't have the patience to deal with bullshit either.

"I honestly haven't seen Uzumaki and that's the truth. I have people that can find out but I suggest you go with me. You're going to need to hear what I'm going to say."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Deidara had always been a crazy kinda guy. That was just who he was and most people accepted it and he was glad for it. There was no other way around it, Deidara was happy to be who he was and he was happy to have who he had. He didn't lead the best life and yeah, he'll admit that he may have been involved in a few illegal things. But he wasn't complaining, that was just his life and he had no other. Deidara found that he could easily have anything he wanted with a little patience and a lot of determination. It also didn't hurt that he was attractive; blond hair, blue eyes. He could have anything he wanted.

But most of all though, he wanted one man.

He seemed like an impossible man, there were rumors of him saying that he was cold-hearted and everybody knew him for what he was: a killer. He was to be feared but Deidara knew better.

He was beautiful.

The first time Deidara had seen him, he was fascinated. With hair as red as blood and eyes as green as emeralds, he was stunning. He was pale with dark circles around his eyes and with a red Japanese tattoo on his face. When Deidara saw him, he was in a fight. The man moved around with so much grace that seemed impossible, his feet kicking out and his arms lashing out in a deadly dance. The battered man that laid at his feet was bloody and begging for mercy, but there was no emotion in those cold green eyes, no flash of anything human. That pale face remained stoic and impassive, as if he hadn't just almost beaten a man to death.

Deidara was in love. It was after that, that he had tried to get close to the man, whose name he later found out to be "Gaara".

No one knew where he had come from or who he really was or what he wanted.

But Deidara didn't care about any of that, all he wanted was Gaara. He wanted to feel those strong arms around him; he wanted to feel those deadly eyes on him.

However, no matter how much Deidara tried, he could never get close to the red headed beauty. He was hopelessly lost in love and he was falling harder by the minute but his feelings remained unreciprocated.

And that's when Deidara met him; Naruto.

It hadn't been planned; he was just tagging along with Gaara even though the man barely even looked at him. There had been a distant shout of Gaara's name and a blur of yellow and Deidara was surprised to see a blond in Gaara's arms.

Deidara was not amused. He didn't understand why there was a blond, who wasn't him, in Gaara's arms.

Deidara watched with envy, jealousy gnawing at his insides, as Gaara wrapped his arms around said blond. He watched as those pale lips leaned down to whisper into a tan ear and as those eyes looked down softly upon the blond as he laughed.

He almost missed Gaara's smile and it was with a fury that he didn't even know he had in him that he realized that Gaara had smiled. But not for him, rather, for some unknown blond who Deidara had not even been aware of before. His fists clenched, his fingernails leaving behind crescent moon shaped marks on his palms. He swallowed hard and unclenched his jaw as he looked the other blond over.

He was nothing special.

He was short and skinny. His hair was maybe a shade more blond than Deidara's and his eyes perhaps a shade lighter. He was cute but Deidara was definitely better than him. He didn't understand why it was at this blond that Gaara smiled at.

Those arms were supposed to be around him. Those lips were meant for him. Those eyes were supposed to look at him with that love.

That's when Deidara realized that in this boy's presence he was not as heartless as he made himself to be. That's when Deidara realized that this boy was someone who meant more to Gaara than anyone else.

He growled in anger but held himself back and Gaara ruffled the boy's hair before he walked off.

Deidara forced a smile and asked "Who's that? A friend? Why not introduce us, huh?"

He needed to know who that boy was. Needed to know why he was so fucking special.

"Naruto…no. Leave him alone Deidara. He's not that type of person," Gaara glared at him and walked off after the blond boy.

Deidara bit his lip in anger as watched.

Not that type of person? What type? Like him? Was Deidara not good enough? Did Gaara mean that Deidara couldn't even talk to his precious "Naruto?"

Deidara had never felt so much hate for anyone than he did towards Naruto, at that moment.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOO

Naruto felt the car stop. They had finally arrived at their destination, after what seemed like forever. He didn't know what he was going to do once they brought him into wherever the hell was. All he knew was that he was going to kick ass, Naruto style.

He felt someone pull him out of the car by his hair and he winced in pain as he followed behind whoever was dragging him. He walked for what seemed like 10 minutes before he was pushed unceremoniously onto something soft. He landed on his back, hands digging uncomfortably into his back. From what his hands felt, he was on a leather couch.

He heard rustling in front of him, loud voices of men, and was blinded by a flood of light as the blindfold was torn off. He blinked, as he tried to get his eyes used to the sudden onslaught of light. At least the blindfold was off now. He turned his head, eyes searching the faces of the unknown men in front of him. He had no idea who any of them were or why they wanted him.

He was thinking that they might've gotten the wrong guy when the group of men parted and a man walked through, his handsome face peering into his.

He recognized the red hair and the brown eyes.

His own blue eyes widened as he took in the features of a man he never though he'd see again.

"Sasori."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The red haired man looked at the blond in amusement. He watched as those blue eyes lit up, his hands waving around in excitement as he retold his story to Sasori.

He honestly didn't know where Deidara got all his energy from, no matter what he did and no matter how much he did it, Deidara was an endless ball of energy that always seemed to have more than enough to last him hours on end. Not that Sasori was complaining, he loved to see Deidara happy, it was always a beautiful sight, he didn't think he'd ever get tired of seeing it.

" –and of course Gaara said he'd –"

Sasori winced as he heard that name.

Lately, it has always been "Gaara this" "Gaara that". Sasori had seen the red-haired man and he didn't see what was so special about him. Sasori had known Gaara since they were kids but he refused to mention that to Deidara lest he asked for more of an insight. Gaara hadn't changed at all since they were kids.

He was still as cold as ever, perhaps even more so.

Sasori would know, he had seen Gaara in action himself as a kid many years ago.

It was nothing special, Sasori could do it better.

He still didn't know how they came to be; the world was rather small after all, he supposed, if he couldn't seem to lose Gaara even after so many years.

Maybe Gaara simply wanted to steal everything Sasori had made for himself as revenge. He supposed it made sense.

Sasori glanced at the still rambling Deidara and his resolve hardened. He wouldn't let Gaara have him. Deidara was the one that had always been there for Sasori after so long. They were adopted together and they were family.

But Sasori didn't think of the blond as family at all. He wanted him in the worst way possible; he wanted his hands on that soft skin and his lips on those lips that he had been dreaming about for years.

Deidara did always idolize Gaara too much. He was slightly glad when it had finally come out that Gaara was living with another blond and didn't seem at all interested in Deidara.

But whether Gaara wanted Deidara or not, didn't matter. He still felt his grip on Deidara loosening and no matter how hard he tried; he couldn't seem to get a stronger hold on him.

Everything Sasori did was for Deidara.

When Gaara was arrested, Sasori was there for Deidara. He made Naruto pay for making his "brother" miserable. Anything Deidara wanted, Sasori happily gave.

He asked for Naruto's bail money for Gaara to be stolen and Sasori made it possible. He asked for Naruto to be thrown out and isolated, Sasori had gone along and done it.

He felt better knowing those two were out of his and Deidara's life. There was no more Gaara to keep Deidara away.

Or so he thought.

But no matter how much he worked at it, Deidara always kept thinking about Gaara. Sasori knew, he knew that that damn bastard was always at the back of Deidara's pretty blond head.

When he heard that Gaara was out prison, he knew it was over. The comfortable life they had set for themselves, the running away, none of it was going to work anymore. He knew Deidara was scared, there was no doubt Gaara knew about what had been done to Naruto and Sasori hadn't tried to hide that fact.

He was going to make it all better.

He'd get rid of them, once and for all if he had to.

He'd do anything for Deidara.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOO

Sasuke hesitated in getting in the silver haired man's car. Not because he was scared but because if this was really a fluke, he was wasting time that he didn't have.

"I suggest you get in the car if you want to find Naruto," came a deep voice from inside the car.

Being reminded again that this was for Naruto, Sasuke got in the car and closed the door, preparing himself for whatever the man was going to say.

"I've called my connections. I know where he is, I'll take you to him," the man looked at him briefly before starting the car.

Sasuke was relieved but also couldn't help being suspicious "Why are you helping me?"

He was a little surprised when the other man laughed and shook his head "I'm not helping you. I owe Gaara a favor and I figure this is the best way to do it."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow "Gaara?"

The man side-glanced at him in surprise and then grinned "Naruto didn't tell you?"

Sasuke's eye twitched in annoyance. He didn't know who Gaara was or what Naruto didn't tell him and he didn't really like secrets being kept from him at all.

The man took his silence as agreement and chuckled.

"Your little Naruto just happens to be Gaara's old lover. Or so were the rumors, it was never confirmed but that's what everybody's always thought."

Sasuke froze. He didn't know how to even react to that bit of news. Once the shock wore off though, the anger settled in. He didn't know why he was so angry, all he knew was that the thought of another man hands on Naruto was enough to make him want to hurt someone. Preferably this "Gaara".

"Gaara…who is he?"

The man was silent for a while, his eyes focused on the road ahead of him as the buildings blurred by on the outside. He turned to look at Sasuke for a moment, his face serious, all traces of humor gone.

"He's the most frightening man you'll ever meet. You see him, you run the other way, because Gaara is not someone you want to mess around with."

Sasuke clenched his jaw and had to wonder how Naruto could end up with such a man but didn't want to linger on those thoughts for too long. All it seemed to do was cause homicidal tendencies in him.

He stayed silent for the rest of the ride, trying not to think about Naruto writhing beneath a faceless man. He tried not to think about the sounds Naruto would make, or the way he'd arch his back. He tried not to think about those hands on Naruto's hips or the way his cheeks would flush and his eyes would glaze over with pleasure. He tried not think about those tan legs wrapped around another man's waist or those arms wrapping around their shoulders, fingers grazing over their back.

He could focus on that later, right now; he needed to get to Naruto as soon as he could.

Gaara could wait for later.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO 

Loud footsteps thudded against the floor, stopping in front of a blond man.

The blond man shuddered in fear as tears ran down his cheeks, smearing the blood on his face.

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry, we shouldn't have…I'm sor…ry…" the man sobbed pitifully, his blue eyes looking up at the man in front of his.

Gaara crouched down; face impassive as he looked into Deidara's blue eyes. He grabbed the blond hair and brought his face closer up to his.

"Tell me where Naruto is."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OO

A/N: I'M SORRY. Let me just tell you, that this chapter is 12 pages long. 12! It's my way of apologizing for not updating. Probably should've been longer but I didn't want to give everything away in this chapter. Yes, I realize the plot is thickening and some things are coming into light. I told you guys before this was going to get dark and serious. I hope you liked it, cause it's 4 in the morning and I have work at 7.

Also, I want to thank all the people that read my story and reviewed even long after I stopped updating. You guys were the reason for why I started writing again!


	8. Jump

A/N: I'M SO SORRY. I apologize so much for not uploading any sooner. Been very busy and I kinda hit a terrible writer's block. Anyway, here goes a long one for all of you that decided to stick around!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto nor do I own The Summit.

Warnings: Swearing, violence, angst, non-con.

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Chapter 8

Jump

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_Regrets collect like old friends_  
><em>Here to relive your darkest moments<em>  
><em>I can see no way, I can see no way<em>  
><em>And all of the ghouls come out to play<em>

_And every demon wants his pound of flesh_  
><em>But I like to keep some things to myself<em>  
><em>I like to keep my issues drawn<em>  
><em>It's always darkest before the dawn<em>

_Shake It Out - Florence & The Machine_

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Naruto glared at Sasori, his blood boiling at the sight of him.

He couldn't believe that the bastard was here, right in front of him and he was unable to do anything.

The piece of shit that was responsible for Gaara being sent away was right _here_. Naruto's blue eyes narrowed in anger, his lips pursed and his jaw clenched. He struggled harder against his restraints, desperate to get closer to the red-haired bastard. He hardly even noticed the pain of the rope digging further into his skin nor did he notice the blood that was drawn from the tight restraints. All he noticed were the brown eyes of Sasori and the triumph in his eyes. All he noticed was those lips cocked into a vicious smirk.

He couldn't believe that Sasori was right in front of him. He couldn't believe that after so much time of blaming himself, he'd actually get the chance of blaming the guy who was truly responsible for all his misery.

All those past memories of being betrayed, of being thrown away, came back to Naruto with a vengeance.

Naruto's hands clenched behind his back, his gaze never leaving Sasori's.

He should probably be a bit more frightened and at the beginning, he was. There was the possibility of no one even noticing he was gone or Sasuke never being able to find him. Naruto didn't hold onto much hope of Sasuke finding him, he admitted to himself. There was no way he could find him, simply because he didn't know enough about Naruto to even begin looking.

He felt guilty, for not telling Sasuke anything. But if Naruto didn't talk about his past then he could at least fool himself into thinking that none of it really happened, despite the memories plaguing his mind day and night.

But looking into Sasori's eyes, Naruto wasn't scared anymore.

He had bigger monsters in his closet.

Sasori was not a part of those.

Not even close.

Naruto's eyes narrowed as Sasori leaned into him and his nose twitched at the smell of musk lingering.

"Well, if isn't little Naruto. You're a hard person to find," the red head smirked, one of his hands patting Naruto's head.

Naruto snarled, his head snapping back to get further away from Sasori's touch.

"Yeah, well, maybe you're just too stupid," the corner of Naruto's mouth quirked up.

It probably wasn't the best idea to provoke Sasori, but he really didn't give a _fuck_.

Sasori narrowed his eyes at him, his eyes darkening in anger. Then, as if realizing that he took Naruto's bait, his eyes lightened marginally and a sharp smirk graced his face.

"I wouldn't exactly call it stupidity. More like victorious that I had managed to run you off successfully. You see, I didn't really want it to come to this but now I don't really have a choice," Sasori tsked mockingly.

Naruto stayed quiet. There was really nothing to say to Sasori's comment, he wasn't going to start a speech about how everybody always had a choice, because the truth was that he knew Sasori well enough and so he knew that although Sasori had a choice, it didn't mean that that choice would include letting him go.

He breathed in deeply and looked back into Sasori's unflinching stare. If he made a move now, Naruto definitely wouldn't be able to hide it. If there was one thing Naruto was good at, was buying himself time. He did have the bad habit of never being able to stay quiet for long, after all. And he desperately wanted answers to the questions he was never able to answer on his own.

"Why? I mean…how?"

He always wondered what had happened that night. Why everything had gone to hell so quickly. How it was even possible for them to have gotten caught.

He always wondered if somebody had snitched.

Sasori's smirk grew as if he knew what Naruto was thinking.

"C'mon now…it's not that hard to figure it out. You do remember what happened, don't you?"

Like Naruto could forget. It had been on repeat in his head, playing over and over again in his dreams. There was no forgetting. Only the remembrance of the pain and desperation, because there was nothing else left.

Sasori's comment however, proved what he had always suspected.

He had finally found his snitch.

**_x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x_**

The trees outside passed by in a blur as the car sped up. They were going way above the speed limit but it's not like there was much choice. It was either that or get caught and he really wanted to avoid the latter. Naruto's heart beat against his chest madly, the adrenaline pumping through his veins as the car took a sharp turn and swerved in its lane. Naruto risked a glance at Gaara, wincing at the intensity in his face. His knuckles were white against the steering wheel and his jaw was tightly clenched. His whole body was tense in anticipation.

Naruto glanced in the side view mirror and cursed under his breath as he spotted the red and blue flashing lights of the cops. They had gotten much closer and were gaining on them, he couldn't even begin to fathom how the hell they were going to get out of this.

The trunk of the car felt heavy and he felt it deeply within him. The knowledge of the amount of bills that they had back there made him sick to his stomach. He didn't know how they had even gotten to this, he vaguely remembered Sasori and Deidara filling him and Gaara in on a very risky mission. The money that they lifted would have them set for years, the risk was worth it, Gaara had said. No more running and no more hiding, they could do anything they wanted and nobody could tell them otherwise.

But thinking about that now had Naruto repeating resolutely in his head that NO, the risk hadn't been worth this. They weren't supposed to get caught.

Why had they gotten caught?

"Naruto," Gaara's voice interrupted his thoughts.

Naruto looked at Gaara, knowing that this was going to be the end of it.

This was a trap.

They weren't meant to get out of this, not together.

"It's time to send you back. I should've done it a long time ago."

Naruto's breath quickened, he couldn't believe what Gaara was saying. There was no way he was going back, not without him.

"Gaara, no, I –"

"No, listen to me Naruto, I'm going to stop the car at the crossroad. You will get out there."

"NO! I'm not leaving without you, there has to be another way, we could go together, please Gaara –"

"I'm sorry Naruto, sorry that I couldn't send you back sooner. I wanted to be with you for just a while longer. Go back to _him_ now, I'll find you once I'm able to, I promise," Gaara took his eyes off the road and looked at him, his green eyes staring back into his.

One of his pale hands reached out to caress Naruto's face "From now on, we don't know each other."

"No! How can you say this?! Let's go together Gaara, don't –"

Cold lips were suddenly upon his, tender and sweet. Naruto's body froze in shock and he faintly heard a soft click before sharp wind met his back and the passenger door flew open. He jerked away from the kiss as strong hands softly pushed him out and he watched in slow motion as Gaara gently smiled down at him.

His fall was cushioned by the soft grass and he rolled into the underbrush. He ignored the aching in his body and stood up, ready to run after the car if he had to. He couldn't leave without Gaara, he didn't know how to survive without him, not yet, he needed him, and he couldn't lose him.

But it seemed that he didn't have to run after all. The car had stopped a few feet away and Naruto watched in horror as Gaara stepped out, hands held up in surrender.

Tears strung Naruto's eyes and he bit down harshly upon the arm of his coat to muffle his cries.

His whole body shook as he watched his whole life crash in front of him.

_This wasn't supposed to happen._

**_x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x_**

"It was you. You set us up," Naruto gritted his words out.

He had always suspected but he never had enough proof. With Gaara gone, all he wanted to do was to mourn his loss. He had felt so much grief and he hadn't given it much thought. And when he finally did, the pain was still too great for assumptions.

"Well, Gaara didn't have a good reputation to begin with. Thought it would've been nice to give the prosecutors a gift. I have the connections, I can make anything happen. I did have to convince Deidara but you played a nice role too. It was because of you that he was so easy to convince. And well, I didn't really expect for you to get the money for his bail but that was also easy to take care of," Sasori snickered.

Naruto finally snapped.

"You bastard! Who do you think you are?!" Naruto struggled against his restraints, ignoring the pain in his arms.

Sasori watched his struggle without any emotion and approached Naruto slowly. He crouched down in front of him and tilted his head to the side, his face smoothed out in consideration.

"Does this seem unfair to you, Naruto?"

Naruto pulled against the rope and ignored his question.

"Life's like that, you know. No warning, no reason, no way to fix anything. You see Naruto, I know what you're feeling now too. Because it's probably how I'm feeling now too. In fact, I've been feeling like this ever since I started becoming an adult."

Naruto glared at him in defiance, his breathing labored. He flinched back when one of Sasori's hands reached out and touched the rosary around his neck.

"I was religious. Until I finally realized that there were things that I couldn't have, no matter how much I prayed. There was only one thing I ever wanted. And your friend broke him."

Sasori's face crept closer and the hand that was caressing his rosary wrapped tightly around his neck.

"Tsk tsk. Naruto, you're in trouble. I'm quite angry with you."

The hand around his neck tightened and Naruto gasped, desperation lodging itself in his throat. Sasori's other hand reached down to Naruto's button down shirt and with a forceful pull, the shirt was ripped open, buttons flying off everywhere. Sasori then stood up fully, pulled both of his hands away and pushed Naruto into a couch in the middle of the room.

Naruto fell over with a groan, unable to get back up. He glared up at Sasori and his henchmen that had gathered around them at some point during the altercation.

"What are you going to do?"

He was almost afraid to ask but there was a morbid curiosity in hearing the answer. Almost like when you know you're not supposed to pick at a scab because it will scar but you do it anyway just to watch yourself peel off the hard skin.

Sasori glanced down at him, his eyes assessing him quietly. Finally, he put his knees on the couch, and he leaned down, settling his weight upon Naruto. His arms braced themselves at his sides, caging him in and he could feel Sasori's hot breath against his cheek.

"Why don't you play a little with me, Naruto."

Naruto heart leapt into his throat as he felt a cold hand land on his belt, deftly unbuckling it. He was starting to panic and he thrashed against Sasori, trying to fight him off. He felt his belt give away and his pants were pushed down to his knees along with his briefs.

Sasori hand came up to Naruto's face and held him still, forcing him to keep eye contact.

"Let's see what's so great about you. Let's find out why Gaara couldn't keep his eyes off of you."

Sasori's lips curled up in a nasty snarl and his hands traced down his neck. Naruto tried pushing him off, desperate to keep him away.

"Now, let's see how fast Gaara can get here."

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Sasuke felt the car finally stop and he glanced around curiously. They were surrounded by old buildings. Most looked decrepit and abandoned; some graffiti decorated the majority of the buildings. Everything looked old and faded and it wasn't really surprising that they ended up here. Sasuke had figured that wherever Naruto was being held wouldn't be a top notch hotel.

Kakashi turned to him, "We're here. This is as far as my moral obligations go. Good luck, kid."

"I didn't expect anything else from you. All you have to do is just look the other way and not say anything," Sasuke rolled his eyes and got out of the car.

Fucking coward.

He heard Kakashi huff behind him and muttered "Naïve kid."

Sasuke's shoulders tensed in aggravation.

He had to admit, that he didn't know anything about Naruto's world, so he didn't know how he was supposed to understand it. The only thing he could do is hurtle against it. Everybody could laugh at his "naivety" but that wouldn't stop him from getting things done. He needed to get to Naruto and he'd be damned if he didn't get him back. He didn't care about "Gaara" or anybody else.

They were all just obstacles in the way.

His hand tightened around the bat that Sai gave him as he gave the building in front of him a considering look. His instincts told him that Naruto was there. He just knew it.

He wasted no time in walking in, and wasn't surprised when he was met with other guys that looked to be blocking the staircase. As soon as they saw him, they charged at him and Sasuke raised his elbow and brought the bat down hard against one man. He crumpled to the floor and the others stepped back in confusion. Sasuke used their surprise and whipped the bat against the knee of another man. He fell to the ground with a groan and Sasuke brought his free elbow down against his head. The rest of the fight went by too fast, proving that he was too quick for the others.

He had a feeling that these were the easiest though. He knew without a doubt that Naruto would probably be on one of the top floors.

Sasuke grinned and cracked his neck and walked towards the staircase.

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Naruto laughed and spit out the blood in mouth as he looked back at Sasori and the bite that was no against his arm.

"Your blood tastes like crap. It's kind of expected from a guy like you though," Naruto grinned.

He wouldn't go down without a fight.

Sasori's hands landed on his body again and Naruto was prepared to bite off his hand this time. He was caught by surprise by the sharp slap against his face. His cheek felt hot as Sasori took that moment to flip him over.

Naruto's eyes widened. He felt the heat of Sasori's body against his, as Sasori pressed himself down on him. Hands pulled his hair back painfully and his eyes watered at the sharp sting. Lips caressed his ear as Sasori whispered, "I'll have to teach you some manners."

Strong arms held him down and Sasori's muscled thighs kept him from moving. The rough denim of Sasori's pants chaffed at his skin. That's when he felt a hot bulge on his back.

Naruto tried bucking Sasori off. Not this, anything but this.

_Help me, please, somebody, anybody…_

He shut his eyes to stop his tears from falling. This was the worst way to lose his dignity.

"Sasori."

Naruto opened his eyes and glanced at Sasori's henchman, who had a phone pressed up against his ear.

"Gaara's here."

Naruto sighed in relief when Sasori's weight was finally off of him. He wasn't expecting Gaara at all but he was thankful that he was close by.

"Already? It should've taken him longer to get here," Sasori questioned, incredulous.

Naruto looked back at the henchman and observed him quietly, noticing that there was some hesitation in his answer.

"Well, no…some guy managed to sneak his way in. "

"WHAT? Is it the police? This wasn't part of the plan at all."

Naruto felt glee at the change in Sasori's attitude. He was obviously worried now, he could deal with this. He could _work_ with failure.

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Sasuke growled. There was too fucking many. No matter how many he beat down, there was always more coming right at him.

"Fuck! You guys are like fucking cockroaches!" he slammed the bat into somebody's stomach, the man doubling over in pain.

He wiped some blood and sweat off his face and kicked out his leg at someone else and he brought the bat down on someone who was trying to sneak up behind him.

He didn't have any fucking time for this. He had to move, he had to find Naruto.

"Get the fuck out of my way!"

He finally dropped the bat and decided to throw some punches all around.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a flash of red. When he turned he saw a man, standing by, his green eyes watching him.

The man took his eyes off of him and kicked out behind Sasuke, saving him from a man that was holding a crowbar.

"What are you doing here?" asked the red haired man.

Sasuke looked him up and down, assessing whether he was a foe.

"I should be asking you that."

The man stared down at him, and it was unsettling that this man was slightly taller than him, and walked away towards the staircase.

"Get out of here. This isn't a place for you, it won't help anyone if you get dragged into this."

The man walked away, not looking back.

Sasuke was left feeling confused and pissed off. He didn't really know why he was so pissed off, other than for the obvious, but something about the mysterious man didn't settle right with him. He seemed familiar, almost like he had seen him somewhere before, but he couldn't remember where.

_Was that…Gaara?_

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"What are you guys even doing! Stop staring at me like that!" Naruto huffed, annoyed, snapping out at Sasori's groupies. There were only two left here with him. The rest had ran off to other parts of the building, he assumed. The man himself had gone off somewhere, and Naruto wasn't really eager to find out where. Naruto could live his whole life not knowing and he would be absolutely fine with that.

"I'm fucking freezing. Why the fuck are you all even staring at me like that? Are you guys homos too? You like staring at naked guys?" he sneered, both of the men throwing him annoyed looks. One of them was looking at him with interest and Naruto was disgusted. He felt exposed and dirty.

The man that eyed him with interest approached him and sneered back," You're pretty brave for a brat. Do you not understand your circumstances? If you weren't who you are, you'd already be dead by now."

Naruto glanced at him, studying his ordinary looks and scoffed.

He knew that this was his chance. Sasori wasn't here and everybody else was too distracted to pay any attention to him. His tied hands behind him shifted slightly as he carefully pulled out a small dagger that he had placed in his boots. It'd take some time to cut the rope, and he hoped that he could be distracting enough.

"You've been staring at me the whole time, right? You like me?" Naruto smirked, "Come closer. I'll let you do whatever you want." Naruto looked up at him underneath his eyelashes and pouted at the man, who looked entranced, and he felt the rope give away from behind him.

The man didn't notice but seemed to finally snap out of his trance, his lips formed into a sneer already.

"What do you think you're doing," the man angrily reached forward and Naruto leaned back.

"Idiot," Naruto grinned and brought his hands out from behind him, dagger placed tightly in his hand. He slashed forward, drawing blood from the man. The man seemed to have noticed that he was free of his restraints and ran towards him but Naruto was ready. He held his hand out and slashed out at the face of the man and felt the blood spurt out and cover his hand. He dropped down and kicked the man's legs, catching him off guard. He then jumped up and gave him another hard kick and threw him against the wall.

The man fell over, groaning in pain and Naruto quickly pulled up his pants, buttoning them up as well as he could.

He knew that he had only taken care of one man and he looked towards the other one and found that he was by the door. Naruto was ready to defend himself again.

"Move it! You wanna get your ass kicked too?!" he snarled at the man.

The man held up his hands and backed away from the door, not even making a move towards attacking him.

Naruto was confused by this turn of events but gladly took the opportunity, ignoring when the man called out "You won't be able to run away!"

When he made it out the door, he realized why.

Sasori was waiting for him, with a group of his men, on his phone already.

Now he knew why Sasori hadn't bothered putting only two of his men in the room with him.

Sasori noticed him first and casually closed his phone," You're like a goddamn mouse."

Naruto didn't wait and ran towards the stairs, hoping he could make it down without being caught. He heard the muffled sounds of footsteps however, and knew that he could no longer go down.

_Going up is my only option._

He ran, his heart beating fast against his ribs, knowing that Sasori and his men would catch up to him eventually. He didn't know how he was going to deal with being caught again, he didn't know what he'd do if he had to go through that hell all over again.

_Where are you Gaara?_

He finally came upon the door that lead to the roof and Naruto quickly turned it, wincing as he felt the cold wind hit his skin. He turned as he heard the oncoming footsteps and sure enough, Sasori appeared right before him. Naruto backed up against the rail of the rooftop, hooking one of his arms through it.

He was cornered.

Sasori seemed to know it as well, judging from the victorious smirk he threw at him.

"You've got nowhere left to run to, little mouse. Best option is to give up and come quietly with us."

Naruto scoffed disbelievingly. Like he'd fall for that. He'd rather jump off the roof.

"Just try and come closer. I'll jump and I'll take one of you with me," he threatened.

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Sasuke wiped the blood off his face, lip curling up in disgust. He had gone through countless men, he lost count after the number twenty, and he still had yet to find Naruto.

Where the fuck could he be?

Sasuke was growing more and more antsy and he didn't know what he'd do if he didn't find him soon. There was no way he could find him in time in such a huge place.

Giving up the pretense, Sasuke took a deep breath and opened his mouth.

"NARUTO! WHERE ARE YOU? ANSWER ME!"

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Naruto blinked when he heard his name being called. He looked at the men around him and they looked confused.

Well, that was strange.

There was something familiar about the voice. It calmed him down and made him feel safe.

"Naruto! If you don't answer me I'll kill you!"

Naruto blinked again and grinned as he finally recognized the voice. He didn't know how it was even possible but right now Sasuke's voice was the most beautiful thing he had ever heard. He didn't think he'd ever get to hear it again.

"Sasuke! I'm on the roof!"

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Sasuke felt relief flood him when Naruto finally replied back. He didn't know how he was going to get to him, but he'd do whatever it took.

"Wait right there, I'm coming for you!" Sasuke started racing up, towards the roof but stopped when Naruto yelled out "ARE YOU CRAZY? I'll be dead before you even get here!"

Sasuke stopped in his tracks and froze. Naruto was probably right, he'd be surrounded and there was no other way out.

Well, he was Sasuke Uchiha. He'd do the impossible.

"Wait outside! I'm coming out!"

He realized how ridiculous it was to be having these shouting matches with Naruto and he was surprised that he hadn't attracted any other idiots from all the noise he was making.

Sasuke walked out of the building, and looked up towards the roof. He could barely make out the blond hair but he definitely knew that that was his Naruto.

He held his arms out, hoping that he wouldn't fuck this up.

"Naruto, JUMP!"

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Naruto stared down at Sasuke in disbelief. There was absolutely no way. The building was only two stories but he wasn't completely sure that Sasuke would be able to catch him. There was just no way in hell that was gonna happen.

He felt Sasori grab onto his arm and Naruto pushed him away. Soon enough, the groupies were closing in on him and he knew there was no choice.

He had to jump.

"Sasuke, if you miss, I'll fucking kill you!"

He pushed away and kicked at a man reaching for him and he took a deep breath to calm himself down. If he started thinking too much, he knew he would miss his chance.

He heard the door slam open but didn't risk looking back. He placed himself on the rails and in one quick motion, jumped.

He felt his hair fly in the cool wind and his open shirt flapped noisily. He fell fast, it seemed to him, and he had closed his eyes to avoid looking into his inevitable unfortunate demise.

He was going to die, he just knew it.

He then felt arms underneath him and the gravity made him crash as Sasuke and he met the ground. Naruto couldn't even move, his body had frozen in anticipation. He didn't want to open his eyes in case he really was dead.

He heard Sasuke then," Naruto? Naruto! Can you hear me? Open your eyes!"

Naruto groaned and opened his eyes. He was never happier than he was now, looking into Sasuke's face. He looked exhausted and worried, which was a very rare look on him. Naruto smiled softly, realizing that it was all because of him.

He felt Sasuke's arms wrap around him, holding Naruto to him. Naruto sighed and held him back tightly, relieved and happy to feel so safe in his arms.

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Gaara had opened the door just in time to see Naruto fly.

For a minute, he thought he had failed. That he had finally lost Naruto, right in front of him. He heard the murmuring of the men around Sasori comment on Naruto's insanity. It was unbelievable for him to have jumped off and survive.

He heard Naruto's relieved cries coming from down on the ground and an unknown man's voice.

He had to assume that Naruto was fine. He still had unfinished business to take care of here.

He slammed the door close and quickly locked it with a leather gloved hand. That drew the attention of the men but Gaara only had eyes for the other red head amidst the crowd.

Sasori raised his eyebrow sardonically," Your boyfriend seems to be popular. Another guy came for him. Your timing sucks."

Gaara coolly gazed back at the man. He didn't care at all about the man; he had no feelings at all for him. The only thing that mattered was that Sasori had laid his hands upon Naruto and for that, he was going to pay.

"Sasori. We have a lot of grudges against each other and right now, I think I can fight without any weight on my shoulders."

Gaara got into a stance, one hand reaching into his jacket to grab his knife.

"Today, I'll end everything."

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Naruto glanced back at the building and found that he couldn't move his feet at all. Gaara was supposed to be there. What if he had arrived and Naruto wasn't there? He couldn't leave Gaara to face Sasori and his men by himself. He chewed on lip in thought, his forehead creased in worry as he thought more about it.

He snapped back to reality when he felt Sasuke's hand grab his elbow, steadying him slightly.

"Are you alright? Can you walk? Do you need help walking? Do you want me to carry you?"

Naruto wrinkled his noise in disagreement and shook his head. He could walk just fine, that wasn't the problem.

"No, just…an old friend of mine was supposed to be up there. I can't leave him up there."

Sasuke glared at him and pulled him along to follow behind him.

"Idiot, now is not the time to worry about anybody else. With your body in that condition, you're not fit to help anyone."

"But-"

Sasuke stopped in his tracks and turned around to face him fully.

"Dumbass! Take a good look at yourself!"

Naruto didn't need to look at himself to know that he was littered with cuts and bruises. He did understand Sasuke's worry but it didn't mean that he had to agree with him. It was the least he could give him though, Sasuke had risked himself looking for Naruto after all. He owed him much, much more.

Sasuke grabbed him by his arms and pulled him into a hug, his big hands settling comfortably on his waist. He tucked Naruto's head under his chin and rested his head on Naruto's unruly blond locks.

"You had me worried out of my mind, I spent all night running around so you better be prepared to painfully pay me back."

Naruto snorted in amusement.

Sasuke's hands lifted Naruto's head and he blinked at the seriousness in Sasuke's expression.

"You can't go worrying about another guy right now, dobe. Chances are that if we go back up there, those bastards will come back for us. If you keep insisting, I'll have to knock you out, don't think I won't.

Sasuke then abruptly turned around and gestured for Naruto to get on his back.

"Get on. At this rate that we're going, we'll probably be home by Christmas."

Naruto shook his head and rolled his eyes but complied and quickly got on Sasuke's back. Sometimes it was just easier to go along with Sasuke rather to argue. Besides, he was tired. They both were, he knew. Naruto knew, that he would never be able to express how thankful he was for Sasuke being here with him tonight. It was something that he hadn't expected but he never felt more grateful for Sasuke's stubbornness.

Naruto looked up at the sky. He could make out the sun coming up now.

He'd never forget this day. For the night, as painful and long as it was…will still always be greeted by the beautiful light of dawn.

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A/N: Hm. That didn't turn out as bad as I thought it would. I thought of making it longer, but I thought that I'd be nice and not leave you with a cliffhanger this time. Next chapter will focus more on Naruto and Sasuke's relationship. Anyway, reviews make me update? :D


	9. One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto nor do I own The Summit.

A/N: Oh dear, I did it again. I'M SORRY. I've been so busy with school and work and more school and I'm still suffering from my writer's block so I've been finding it very difficult to actually sit down and write a chapter. Thank you all for your wonderful support though! At least this time it was only 4 months, compared to my awful record of a year. I tried making this long but if I did that, it would've become TOO long because I wouldn't have been able to cut anything out, enjoy!

Unbeta-ed. Let me know if there are any mistakes and I will go back and edit them.

Warnings: Swearing, violence, past trauma, Sasuke being an asshole, non-con ish?

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Chapter 9

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

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_I was tangled in the all wires  
>Tied down and I felt the fire<br>There was nothing for me to do  
>I was searching but not for you<br>I am caught up in your desire  
>It's flush in the face desire<br>I wanna trade in the old for new  
>I was searching but not for you<em>

_Walking Backwards – Leagues_

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The journey home was silent and Naruto wasn't keen on disrupting it. He couldn't detect any emotion on Sasuke's face and although that was nerve-wracking, he was also glad that Sasuke wasn't asking any questions at the moment. Without a doubt, the questions would come later, when they were home, safe and sound but hopefully by that time, Naruto could gather up enough courage for the inevitable interrogation.

There was also the heavy guilt he felt, for getting Sasuke involved in his messes in the first place. That had been the last thing he had ever wanted to do, it was too dangerous to get anyone else involved.

He sighed and rested his head against Sasuke's back and closed his eyes. He relaxed against Sasuke's warmth and familiarity. He didn't know how long he stayed in the position but when he opened his eyes again, they were in front of their apartment door.

Naruto gently squeezed Sasuke's shoulder in appreciation and hopped down when Sasuke lowered his legs to the ground.

When they finally got in, Naruto felt his shoulders sag in relief and the tension left his body.

He was home. This was home. And he had almost lost it.

Naruto tilted his head up and closed his eyes to ward away the oncoming desperation. He almost forgot Sasuke was still beside him when his voice interrupted him.

"…are you okay?"

Naruto glanced wearily at Sasuke and thought the question over. Was he _okay_? He wasn't sure what 'okay' actually entailed so Naruto just gave him a small smile and nodded.

He'd think about whether he was truly 'okay' when he was alone and without an audience. Naruto's hands throbbed and his sides ached and he had a pounding headache. What Naruto really wanted, was to flee and lock himself into the bathroom and scrub away the blood and the pain.

"Naruto, you really don't look well. Show me where it hurts," Sasuke gave him a stern glare.

Honestly, the last thing Naruto wanted right now was to do that. He just _needed_ to be alone. Even if just for a minute.

"It's nothing. I'm going to wash off first," Naruto headed towards the bathroom without a backwards glance.

Naruto gasped when he felt a hand pull him back and pull him away from the bathroom door. His eyes widened and his breath quickened and _nonono please no stop stop_, red hair, vicious smirk and rough hands pulling at him, spreading him open, degrading him.

"Don't touch me!" he jerked his arm back in fear, breathing harshly as he looked at the surprise on Sasuke's face.

"I'm a little tired. I'd really prefer to be alone right now. I'll tell you everything later, so please, don't take it personally," Naruto closed the bathroom door behind him and rested his back against it.

_Sorry Sasuke, sorry so sorry._

He let out a shaky breath and ran his hand through his hair, grasping at it and pulling it. He took his clothes off with numb fingers and turned on the shower to its hottest setting. The bathroom quickly became steamy and Naruto got into the shower, the water scalding. His skin quickly reddened from the heat and Naruto bit down on his lip, stifling the whimpers that were threatening to escape. He held out his shaking hands in front of him, glancing at the rope burns around his wrists and the dark bruises on the rest of his body.

No matter how hot the water was, Naruto was still trembling.

_I can't stop shaking._

Whenever Naruto closed his eyes, he could see Sasori, feel his dirty hands on his skin. Naruto choked on a sob and covered his face with his hands. He didn't know if the water trickling down his face was actually water or his tears.

_I made the same mistake. I always make the same mistake. _

He must've been so lost in his thoughts that he must've missed the door opening and other clothes joining his on the bathroom floor. When he felt a presence behind him however, Naruto immediately knew that it was Sasuke. Nobody else would readily violate his privacy even though he had clarified that he wanted to be alone.

He should've known, Sasuke never did like being ignored for long.

He turned around, ready with a glare, because dammit, Naruto really wasn't ready for a confrontation right now and all he wanted was time to gather his thoughts and cry to his heart's content. He kept his mouth shut however, when he saw the dark scowl on Sasuke's face and turned back towards the tile wall.

"I'm sweaty and I feel disgusting. I've been running around after a certain someone all day, after all," the Raven said to Naruto's back.

There was that bite of guilt once again. Naruto flinched and looked back at Sasuke. There was still that scowl, because Naruto could just make out the exhaustion on his face and the cuts and bruises mottling his body. He was right, Sasuke must've been out looking for him all night, with a barely healed leg to boot.

"I'll just leave then," Naruto moved towards the shower curtain but Sasuke quickly put his arm out in front of Naruto and blocked his way.

"Why?" Sasuke seemed truly puzzled with Naruto's reasoning and Naruto didn't know whether to lash out or be amused.

"There's…there's no space. Do you really have to wash right here and now?"

"Hn. I'm sweaty. I can't stand being sweaty. Just be a good boy and stay," Sasuke moved his arm to gently grab at Naruto and turn him back towards the shower.

He didn't know whether Sasuke was being dense on purpose or whether it was something else, but Naruto's patience was slowly dying out.

"Are you really stupid? You're supposed to leave people alone at times like this!"

"It's pretty obvious though, what you're going to think about if I leave you alone."

Naruto's eyes flew to the tiled floor to avoid Sasuke's stare. He felt a hand tip his head up and his eyes met Sasuke's once again.

"What did they do to you?" Sasuke crowded Naruto against the corner of the shower and Naruto could feel the slick wall, wet with water, against his back. He wanted to escape, because Sasuke's presence was always so dark and powerful and he didn't know if he could handle that. Sasuke never let his gaze drop and one of his hands grasped Naruto's, and he stroked the rope burns there.

"Nothing happened."

"Even if you don't tell me, I can guess what it is. I can tell that you're tense right now. You're treating me the same way that you would treat those fuckers," Sasuke's hands cupped his face and he leaned in closer to Naruto, "Do you know how fucking scared I was after you disappeared? I had no fucking idea where you could've been! I barely got there in time to see you at the edge of the roof and do you know what I felt, Naruto? _My heart sank."_

"You said we were friends. You said it to _me_, first. Is this how you treat your friends?" the hands cupping Naruto's face moved to his neck and pulled him in closer to Sasuke, their foreheads resting against each other's, "Don't treat me like that. If you do, then what am I going to do?"

Naruto looked into Sasuke's dark gaze and gulped, the guilt nearly choking him.

_I'm disappointed in myself. I can never think of anyone but myself._

"I'm sorry, Sasuke," he closed his eyes and allowed Sasuke to turn him around again.

"It's fine. Here, I'll finish washing you," Sasuke smirked as grabbed the shampoo bottle and poured a generous amount onto Naruto's hair.

"I can do it myself," he pouted, feeling like a child once again but thankful for the quick topic change.

"Hn. Liar. I saw your hands shaking," Sasuke's hand gently massaged his head and soaped up his shoulders.

"Water was just cold, is all," Naruto mumbled grumpily.

"Sasuke…thanks," because while Naruto was suffering through his own issues, he hadn't even thought about Sasuke. He had saved him and taken him home, all without asking for a single explanation.

"No need to thank me, dobe. I'll be taking advantage of you from now on because of this."

"Teme," Naruto bit his lip to hide his smile.

He felt Sasuke press a soft kiss on his head and Naruto smiled softly but winced when the soap got in his eyes. While he rubbed it out of his eyes, he thought he had felt Sasuke's hands ghosting over his flank but got distracted when Sasuke turned off the water and threw him a towel.

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Sasuke knew that he was pushy. He knew that he was really _really _pushy. But it was the way that he had always been and over time, as he got older, that pushiness had increased. It was the unfortunate (or very fortunate, he considers it) trait that most people always complained about. There was no shame in him pushing towards his goals, needs, and desires. Why the fuck would he ever consider it an issue? Confident people were successful. Only weak fuckers ever let themselves give up.

However, that was not to say that Sasuke didn't know when to let things go. For a certain amount of time, that is.

Especially when it had to do with Naruto.

Because, although he was desperate for answers, he knew that right now wouldn't be the time for them. Naruto had been through a traumatic event and if Sasuke pushed him, it could be that Naruto shut down on him completely and push him away.

And the last thing Sasuke wanted was for Naruto to push him away.

So, the questions could wait for later. What was important now was that Naruto was safe in their apartment and with him. He could hold him in his arms and smell his scent and feel his body warmth.

And if he could take advantage of the fact that Naruto was too distressed, to touch him all over, then that was just a bonus.

"Why do we have to do this?" Naruto grumbled, his hand held out in Sasuke's.

"Because you're an idiot," Sasuke answered without looking up at the blond, wrapping the gauze around Naruto's hands, "Also, because, if we don't take care of your hands, they could get infected."

"I guess so," Naruto mumbled tiredly.

Sasuke grunted and finished up, cutting the gauze to tuck it in comfortably. He looked up at Naruto and took in his hazy gaze that he kept trying to blink away. Sasuke snorted and raised Naruto's hands up to his lips and kissed them softly. He then reached up to ruffle Naruto's blond locks, enjoying the irritated glare that it earned him.

"Get some sleep, dobe. I won't bother you with questions for now, because I'll always be here with you," the raven, stood up and pulled Naruto up with him to pull him into the bedroom. Once he had pulled back the covers, Sasuke gently pushed Naruto onto the bed and tucked him in.

Naruto was out within minutes and Sasuke wasn't really that surprised. It had been an exhausting day and the only reason for why Sasuke himself hadn't fallen asleep yet, was because his body was still running on a bit of adrenaline. That, and also, there were many things on his mind.

So instead of going to sleep, Sasuke sat next to Naruto on the bed, pulling him slightly onto his lap and stroked his hair as he sat contemplating. He knew that Naruto seemed to get himself into trouble a lot and that he had been involved in some illegal acts, but he didn't think that it'd turn into something like this. And Sasuke realized that although they had been living together for a couple of months so far, he had no idea who Naruto was. He never talked about his past, or his family, or his friends.

It was almost like there was something dark that Naruto was hiding and Sasuke couldn't even begin to fathom how deep the web spun. If today's events were anything to go by, it could be that Naruto would prove to be very dangerous to his physical and mental health.

And yet, Sasuke found that he didn't really mind. He knew what he had been getting into once he met the blond, knew the kind of person he was, and he still found it hard to not get attached. Had he been a lesser man, there was no doubt that he would've fallen much sooner and lost himself.

As it was, he was no lesser man and he knew exactly what he wanted. What he wanted was Naruto, and there was nothing that would change his mind, because he was stubborn and once he got stuck on something, it was nearly impossible to let it go. Simply imagining his life without Naruto now was unthinkable, because he felt that he didn't make sense without him anymore.

He would figure everything else out along the way.

Sasuke was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Naruto's small whimper. He turned around and observed the blond, his hand stilling its stroking of Naruto's hair. He could barely make out the tears that clung to blond lashes, behind Naruto's closed eyes. Naruto shifted in his sleep with another whimper.

"Gaara…" the blond shifted and turned his back to Sasuke, settling down almost immediately.

Sasuke clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.

That…would simply not do.

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Whenever he was exhausted or anxious or scared, it always came without fail. A large, black, naked lump of malice. Although he knew that he should run away, he always found his body unable to move, frozen in fear. It kills him slowly and then searches him, its intentions always clear. It takes over his body, takes control of him and eats away at everything, to the point where it is consuming his whole body.

_What is this? Who are you? Why can't I fight back? Why am I so helpless?_

A flash of long black hair and a handsome smirk.

_You're helpless Naruto, because deep inside, you wanted it. You craved it._

Naruto awoke with a startled gasp, his body clenching up in terror. He could distinctly hear the soft murmur of voices but it all sounded so far away and he couldn't move.

_He couldn't move._

His vision was blurry and he saw a someone move into view, white hair and a sharp shark-like smile.

"Naruto! You're awake! Damn man, you sleep for so long that I didn't think you'd ever wake up," Suigetsu gave him a happy grin.

Naruto wish he could smile back or say something but he couldn't do much of anything at the moment, he tried moving his hands and he felt himself trembling. He tried reaching out towards the figure of Sasuke, who walked closer to him, observing him quietly.

"Naruto? You're sweating like crazy, you don't look so good, man. Are you sick? Or still not fully awake?" the white haired man frowned, his hand reaching out to touch him.

_Help help help me._

Naruto saw Sasuke move in the corner of his eye and smack away Suigetsu's hand. Naruto then almost choked as Sasuke roughly pulled him up by the collar of his shirt and punched him in the face.

"Sasuke! What are you doing?!" Suigetsu launched himself at Sasuke's back, pulling him away from Naruto's stupefied face.

"He had sleep paralysis," Sasuke shrugged and stepped back.

Although the punches were brutal and Naruto's head was still throbbing with the force of them, they managed to shock him out of his paralysis. For a second, Naruto was impressed with Sasuke. That was, until he hissed in pain and grasped at his cheek. He could already imagine how swollen and red it was by the heat coming off of it. He rubbed his face, wincing and then turned his glare towards the damn teme responsible.

"That punch had a lot of feeling behind it…were you just waiting for an opportunity?" Naruto huffed at Suigetsu's concerned rambling, pissed off but thankful.

Sasuke scowled at him," So you get it. Next time, I'll send you to the grave with a single shot," and then turned around to head towards the kitchen, Suigetsu following behind after throwing him a worried look.

_Bastard. What the fuck is his problem._

Naruto looked at his bandaged hands, his fingers twitching with awareness.

_Paralysis…was that why it was so vivid?_

Naruto shuddered and wrapped his arms around himself.

_Even now, I can still his cold, horrible breath. _

Long black hair, elegant fingers, arrogant smirk.

_It's…been a long time, since I last saw him._

Hopefully he'll never see him again. Naruto brushed his hair back, trying to stop the slight trembling in his hands.

_Almost forgot. Kyuubi's anniversary is coming up._

"Naruto."

Interrupted from his thoughts, Naruto glanced up at Sasuke who was lounging on one of the kitchen chairs, the aura around his imposing presence. dangerous. His smirk was sharp and mocking, his dark gaze not straying from his face.

"Did you have a good dream?"

_Did he know?_

Naruto stayed quiet and observed Sasuke's expression.

_No...he doesn't. He wouldn't. Not possible._

"Yeah. So good, that I got paralyzed by it," Naruto grinned at him and stood up to walk into the bathroom.

What a wonderful way to start off the day.

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Sasuke almost wanted to smack himself for his stupidity. Naruto was having a hard enough time, without him having to pile his jealousy on top of it all. If he wanted to prove to Naruto that he was mature, this was definitely not the way to go about it. It was pathetic.

He was cranky though, having gotten almost no sleep since hearing Naruto call out someone else's name in his sleep.

How was it that someone so idiotic could drive him to insanity, without even knowing?

Getting jealous over a dream. Pathetic.

_Stupid fucker._

Even with his stupid appearance, Sasuke was completely captivated by him.

"Hey…Sasuke?" said idiot plastered on an innocent face.

"What?"

"I'm hungry," Naruto pouted at him, chin trembling pathetically; cheek still flushed red from the punch he had given him earlier.

"Me too!" chimed in the almost forgotten Suigetsu.

"Why the fuck would I cook for you, dobe?"

"I haven't eaten anything since yesterday! I feel like I'm going to faint," the blond dobe fake swooned.

Sasuke had been hoping to get some information out of Naruto, now that he had gotten his rest but it was true that Naruto probably hadn't eaten anything since lunch yesterday. There was no way about it, he had no choice but to feed him. The sooner he did, the sooner he'd have his answers.

_Fucking dobe._

Ten minutes later, very disgruntled and running out of patience, Sasuke set down a stuffed omelet in front of Naruto, smirking at the beaming smile the blond threw at him before digging in. He set a ramen cup and chopsticks in front of Suigetsu and ignored the incredulous look he gave him.

He let Naruto eat peacefully before he asked "Taste good?"

Naruto stopped shoveling food into his mouth long enough to grin at him with a satisfied nod.

"Good, now eat fast, you owe me a lot of explanations. Such as last night, don't think you can get away with not saying anything this time."

He knew that he was pushing Naruto, from the way that Naruto tensed up, but whether it was too much or not, Sasuke had been patient enough. He deserved some answers.

"Hey man, do you have to do this to him so early? It's been a traumatic experience for him, can't you just let up on him?"

Suigetsu really should learn when to keep his mouth shut.

"Looks like you have a lot of damn time on your hands, Suigetsu. Even with a terrible economy, your company must be running real fucking smooth for its president to be able to afford fooling around like this," he bared his teeth at his shark friend.

He ducked when Naruto threw his chopsticks at him, booing," Do you have to say it like that? Meanie asshole," he stuck out his tongue while Suigetsu cheered him on.

Sasuke had just about enough and instead of responding back to Naruto's increasing insults, he grabbed Suigetsu by the shoulder and pushed him towards the door, opening it up and shoving him through it and quickly locking it, ignoring the shouts on the other side.

_Fucking finally._

When he turned back to the dining table, Naruto was sitting with his arms crossed across his chest, his legs bouncing nervously. Sasuke ignored the seat beside Naruto and chose to stand instead, knowing that it was more intimidating for Naruto.

"I'm already involved in this, so no use hiding it. What was yesterday all about?" he leaned with one shoulder against the wall," And especially, I'd like to hear about this 'Gaara' whose name you called out so lovingly in your sleep."

Sasuke knew that if he didn't control his temper, he was going to fuck this up, but he couldn't stop hearing Naruto calling out 'Gaara's' name in his sleep. He couldn't stop himself from noticing Naruto's surprised expression at his last question and he wouldn't be able to get anything to do with the damned "Gaara" out of his fucking mind until Naruto clarified.

"How…do you know about Gaara?" Naruto fidgeted, fingering a loose thread in his shirt.

"How do you think I found out where you were? I've heard from a certain person a lot of interesting stories," Sasuke clenched his jaw," I heard you two were lovers."

Naruto started, eyes widening as he looked up at him.

Sasuke bit back the growl threatening to slip out, Naruto's reaction not helping his accusations.

"Is that true?" He had to ask. He had to, he needed to know.

"Wait…Sasuke. What-"

"Now I see that your face isn't the only girly thing about you," he walked closer to Naruto and leaned in close, bending down to meet his eyes," so you like guys?"

Naruto's blue eyes sharpened and the anger in them flared," _What?_"

"I suppose it makes a lot of sense, how so many guys are clustered around you," Sasuke took Naruto's chin in hand," tell me Naruto, how do you seduce a man?"

Naruto slapped his hand away and stood up, eyes blazing with beautiful fury, his cheeks flushed and breathing hard from keeping in his anger.

"What the fuck are you talking about? I never expected this shit from you, fucking bastard!" Naruto pushed his chair back and started to storm off.

But Sasuke was angry too. He was furious. He was incredibly jealous and jealousy was vulnerability and if there was one thing that Sasuke hated, it was to feel _vulnerable._ He grabbed Naruto by the shoulder to stop him and threw him against the wall, pinning him there with his body. His hand crept up to Naruto's neck, the other pinning Naruto's hands to the wall.

"Why don't you do it to me, then? The way you did it to all those other guys. _Seduce me._"

Sasuke buried his face in Naruto's neck, breathing him in, his lips trailing down along the tan column. He had been wanting this for _so damn fucking long_. He licked the smooth skin, his teeth nipping the skin, even as Naruto struggled against him, trying to push him away.

"Are you fucking insane!? Let me go!"

Sasuke's hands slipped down to Naruto's hips, hands slipping in under Naruto's shirt, caressing the soft skin he found there. One hand slipped down to Naruto's ass as Sasuke and the other crept up further along his shirt, fingers brushing against a pebbled nipple.

"Sasuke! Stop it!" Naruto's fists beat down against his shoulders but Sasuke hardly felt them, he was completely lost in the taste and feel of Naruto, Naruto, _Naruto._

Pain momentarily blinded him and Sasuke pulled away, holding his nose, which was dripping blood now. His breath was harsh as he saw Naruto's fist clenched in front of him, shirt half pushed up, jeans hanging low on sharp hips. His tan face was heavily flushed in anger but his neck was mottled with red marks, _his_ marks.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?! This is going way too damn far, even for a fucking joke!" slim fingers pulled down his shirt and Sasuke held his shirt sleeve against his nose, the fabric quickly becoming stained with blood.

"Does it look like I'm fucking joking?"

His question had caught Naruto by surprise and there was a sick pleasure in that.

"That's funny. Then what were you trying to do? You've got explaining to do, it looks like you're the gay one here."

Sasuke pulled his sleeve away from his face, the blood having stopped minutes ago.

"Why the fuck not? Even I know how guys have sex. I've never been interested, but if it's with you it's a possibility. You're quite seductive. Or am I not good enough for you?" Sasuke walked back towards Naruto, intent on tasting Naruto once again, over and over again, if possible. He was so lost in his desire, in his lust, to have waited for such a long time for more of a taste than sleepy drunken kisses. He wasn't thinking, not at all, and maybe that was the problem but he had no time to follow that though any further.

"I'd rather have preferred being in those bastards' hands, than to have to suffer like this at the hands of someone who I thought was my friend. Now I know what you really think of me, and here I was, fucking thinking that I was your damn friend! Is it fun playing with a person like that?" Naruto pushed him away and glared at him, "I'm not so cheap that I'd let a bastard like you play with me!"

Naruto back away from him and turned away, slamming open the door before he ran out.

"Naruto, wait!" but it was too late, Naruto was gone and it was his entire fucking fault.

It wasn't supposed to go like this; he had let the damn situation get out of hand, his jealousy made him go overboard and he lost himself in it.

Sasuke cursed and punched the wall, the pain not enough to dull the guilt and self-loathing.

_I'm such a fucking idiot._

He needed to catch up to him, he needed to try to explain even if he didn't want to listen. Sasuke ran out, searching wildly for him.

Every conscious moment, all he could think of was him. Being the worthless guy that he was, he found himself captivated and drawn towards his solitary figure. He couldn't see anything besides him. It was laughable. Pathetic. Insane.

What was really confusing was that Sasuke found himself unable to go back to his normal senses and values.

He was able to stop himself from going too far this time, but would he be able to control himself in the future?

That naked desire that had quickly taken form and grown to an uncontrollable size and the unsteady awkward feeling that's taken control.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Naruto took a break and sat down on a bench. His bandages had come loose and were now dangling uselessly at his sides.

Bastard. Idiot. Jerk.

_And I thought he was trustworthy. _

"Never gonna forgive him this time, there's a limit to how much a person can take," Naruto bit the inside of his cheek, his hand trailing up to stroke his neck, still remembering the heat of Sasuke's hands and lips.

_Hmph._

Naruto had just curled his legs up against his chest, feet resting against the edge of the bench, when he heard someone loudly yelling his name. The blond sighed and waited until Sasuke came into view. From all the yelling he was doing, he obviously hadn't noticed where Naruto was yet.

"Naruto! Where are you?! Come out now! Dammit, where the fuck did you go?!"

It was quite amusing to see Sasuke in such a desperate state and if he wasn't so pissed off at him, then he'd probably laugh. As it was, Naruto just sat quietly, observing from behind at the damn teme making a ruckus. Naruto rolled his eyes at the predictable display.

"You there, keep it down, or else I'll press charges," Naruto called out, tired of all the noise.

"Naruto…" Sasuke quickly turned towards him.

When he had fully turned around, Naruto took in his full form and noticed the bleeding feet.

_Barefoot._

_What's he thinking, chasing after me so desperately?_

Naruto snorted. Then he chuckled. Then he couldn't stop himself from laughing.

"Idiot! You're just one of those idiots with a childish self-righteous mindset," he pointed at Sasuke, slightly wheezing from all the laughter.

It lost all its humor however, and he abruptly stopped his laughing.

"You were wrong."

Sasuke bowed his head and nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, feel free to hit me for as long as you'd like," Sasuke stood up straight with acceptance.

"You think that's all it'd take?" Naruto reeled back, fist already in the air, poised to strike a quick punch. His fist stopped within centimeters of Sasuke's jaw however, and gave him a light tap instead.

He shook his hand out and shrugged," My hands hurts, so I don't think I'll be able to hit you right now anyway."

Sasuke stayed quiet as Naruto sat back down on the bench and joined him at the end, giving him space.

"You really need to fix that nasty temper of yours. You have a really bad way of talking, even if you aren't in your right mind, you have to know that you can't take back what you say. Adding to that, your expression back then made it seem like you really did mean it."

"I can't help the way I am," Sasuke replied back arrogantly.

"Teme! Are you really apologizing?!"

Sasuke turned around and looked at him seriously, a frown tugging at mouth," You still haven't answered my question."

"Isn't it obvious. What won't bored, violent guys do when they're together? It was just a really bad joke."

"…and you really don't have anything to do with this 'Gaara' guy?"

Naruto stilled and glanced at Sasuke, not sure what to really say.

_Cold, pale lips against mine. Soft._

"No."

"Really?" there was that disbelieving tone in Sasuke's voice, again.

"If you're not going to believe me, then don't ask. I'm more curious as to why you're so concerned about that," Naruto rubbed the back of his neck, awaiting Sasuke's reply.

"Of course I'm concerned. I'm not about to lose you to some other guy after all the shit we've gone through," Sasuke stood up and turned away, ready to head back home.

It was something that he wondered at times, but quickly dismissed. He looked at Sasuke's bloodied feet again.

…_could it be?_

"Do you like me?"

Sasuke stopped in his tracks and slowly turned to face Naruto, his expression stormy and dark.

"Huh, Sasuke? Do you like me?" Naruto stepped in closer to Sasuke and smirked.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

A/N: Shit just got real. Read, review, favorite.

**MUST READ:** I have some questions and warnings for you, dear readers. As some of you may have figured out, this story will become darker. Naruto's dreams and flashbacks attest to that and there may be some non-con/dub-con involved somewhere in there. So, I will continue writing this story as I have planned and as how the manga is, which means that those scenes WILL be written, no and ifs or buts about it. The question is that when I do write these scenes, do you guys feel more comfortable with me leaving those scenes out, on here? I am posting this story on AO3 as well, so I will be posting full uncensored chapters on there, if you guys decide that you want nothing to do with those scenes. Let me know!

ALSO, there were some people who didn't like Naruto not sticking around for Gaara in the last chapter, but please, take in mind that Naruto never did see Gaara with his own eyes. He was focused on Sasuke, who he actually knew was there, and getting out of a very bad situation alive. With all the adrenaline running, I doubt he was really thinking of anything else. Besides, Gaara can hold his own.


	10. Near To You

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto nor do I own The Summit

A/N: Thank you all for your lovely comments and feedback. If you didn't get to read the last Author's Note that I uploaded, then you probably missed out on me mentioning that I will be updating regularly from now on. Yes, you read that right. I'm excited to get this story finished once and for all, because I want to be move on into other fandoms.

**ALSO**, I will not be answering more questions about Gaara or why Naruto left Gaara a few chapters ago because **I HAVE ALREADY ANSWERED THAT**. Please. PLEASE. Don't ask me that. Repeated questions becoming redundant after they've already been answered.

Warnings: Language, weird people, dub-con, angst.

Unbeta-ed, PLEASE let me know if there are any mistakes and I will go back and correct them. Will also be probably adding on a bit more to the chapter here and there, haven't quite made up my mind yet.

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_To me, you're strange and you're beautiful  
>You'd be so perfect with me<br>But you just can't see  
>You turn every head but you don't see me<em>

_Strange and Beautiful (I'll Put A Spell On You) – Aqualung  
><em>x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Chapter 10

Near To you

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"_Once you get stuck on something, it's almost like you don't even try to face reality."_

"Oh shut the fuck up," Sasuke groaned, running his fingers through his hair.

It was hard enough to face up to the fact that right now he was hopeless but he didn't need the imaginary pink haired bitch in his head to point it out either.

_Stupid bitch._

He had managed to get the damn bitch out of his mind but it was at times like these that he often thought back to her words from before.

He knew that the people walking by were looking at him strangely but trying to think back at the apartment would've been hard to do with Naruto around as a distraction.

Not that he'd ever admit it.

Ever.

Especially to Naruto.

Who was probably at home on his day off from his job, puttering around the apartment doing absolutely nothing and being his usual annoying self.

_Fucking dobe._

He was still reeling from the damn interrogation Naruto had surprised him with, as a matter of fact. He knew that he had feelings for the damn idiot but admitting to the blond himself was a different matter. It wasn't that he was worried about what the response would've been, but that Naruto might not exactly be ready to have his surprised question answered.

Yeah, he could admit it.

He had no fucking idea what he was doing, all he knew was that he wanted Naruto and he wanted him _bad_, all other consequences be damned. But he knew that pushing Naruto wouldn't be the smartest thing to do.

Example; last week's _debacle_ that ended with him with a bloody nose and feet and Naruto clamming up whenever he tried going near him anytime afterwards.

No thanks, he was trying to avoid another situation like that.

Naruto was just starting to warm up to him again and the last thing Sasuke needed was to scare him off again.

He hadn't ignored Naruto's stupid question but he also hadn't answered it. That way, when Sasuke knew that Naruto was ready to hear it, Sasuke could honestly say that he hadn't said anything outright to deny his feelings.

But it was becoming difficult. It was becoming very hard to keep the words that he wanted very much to say, inside.

He had never been the type to keep anything inside. If he didn't like something he wasn't shy about revealing it and if he wanted something, he never hesitated in going after it.

But...

Naruto wasn't ready.

Honestly, Sasuke didn't know whether he was either. He had been carrying on like a child, stubborn and possessive. He wanted to know absolutely everything about Naruto, wanted to pick him apart and find the secrets of his past right down to marrow of his very bones. Wanted to observe every piece of what made Naruto, Naruto. Microscopic and beautiful, every goddamn inch, piece by fucking piece.

But Sasuke was sure that some of those pieces were broken and he wasn't too sure that he'd be able to put them back together. They were probably jagged by now, sharp and deadly, ready to cut him if he pulled too hard. Naruto had his secrets but they must've been truly terrible if Naruto always froze up whenever Sasuke tried getting him to talk about them. He tensed up and avoided talking to him throughout the day, lost in a daze. Was Sasuke prepared for the outcome? Would he be able to put Naruto back together when the inevitable breakdown came?

"_You're still so immature and narrow in your ways, you're determined and there's never been any doubt about that. But in the end, you're nothing but a self-righteous kid, twisting yourself and others around you, manipulating them until there's nothing left. When you refuse to acknowledge, let alone change aspects of yourself, your claims to love are nothing but lies."_

Sasuke snorted.

He didn't know whether he was ready but at least he knew what he wanted. He had denied it to himself before but denying it now was an insult, not just to himself but to Naruto. He'd never be someone who ran away from his feelings and he wasn't about to start now.

_Unlike you, I'll never run away._

He stood up, righted himself and headed home.

That was enough thinking for today, he had a blond idiot to get home to.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Naruto loudly popped his gum as he shook his hips to the beat of the music. He bobbed his head and pressed the wet rag against the countertop, scrubbing hard at a food stain. He had been at work all day, taking full advantage of his day off and cleaning up the dirty apartment. There had been clothes all across the floor and strewn over chairs and the couch. Dust bunnies were accumulating underneath the furniture and the dust was stark against the dark furniture.

Naruto didn't know how he had let it get so out of hand, but he was certainly making up for it now, having spent most of the day scrubbing and washing. He was glad that Sasuke had gone out to Kami knew where, because trying to clean with him in the apartment was next to impossible. He was too broody and was always in the way, there would've been no way that Naruto would've been able to even spend five minutes trying to clean without the raven loudly complaining.

He blew at a stray piece of hair in his face and huffed as he finally put down the rag and looked around at the now very clean apartment. Naruto nodded with satisfaction and hoped that it would remain clean for at least another few days.

It was hopeless to even try to imagine it staying cleaner for longer than a week, it never did.

He walked over to the fridge and pulled out a carton of cookie dough ice cream and settled down on the couch, in front of the TV. Maybe he should try relaxing after a tiring day of cleaning.

He was munching absentmindedly, barely paying any attention to the background noise of the news.

The past week had been…odd, to say the least.

After asking Sasuke _that_ question, Naruto had realized what a mistake he had made. The last thing Naruto wanted to really think about was any feelings developing between the relationship that Sasuke and Naruto shared. Things were complicated enough and even _if,_ and he meant a very small _if_, he did develop feelings for Sasuke, be it at any point, Naruto wouldn't really know what to do with those feelings. It was hard enough with the shit that had been going on lately; they didn't need to add romantic feelings to that list either.

Not that there were any romantic feelings to be had.

Not on Sasuke's side.

And certainly not on Naruto's side either.

Right.

Besides, his relationship with Sasuke was still tentative at best. Last week's events were still fresh in his mind and although he was done giving Sasuke the cold shoulder, that didn't mean that he was ready to completely trust him again. He wasn't sure if pulling stunts like those would be a constant in the future but he really needed his sanity and Sasuke pulling him around like that was not part of the plan.

There was also the fact that Naruto still hadn't told Sasuke anything about his life and he wasn't so sure if he ever could. He had kept everything hidden for so long, that he didn't really know where he'd ever begin. He didn't want to have to face everything that had happened because it was still painful and it felt _so_ fresh, almost like it had happened recently when he knew for certain that it had been years.

Naruto snapped out of his thoughts when he felt the jangling of keys by the door and it was with surprise that he realized that the ice cream had all melted.

How long had he been there, lost in thought of possibilities?

He set the now melted carton of ice cream on the coffee table in front of him and raised his eyes when Sasuke walked by, darkly scowling at the news and launching himself onto the couch beside him.

"Bad day?" Naruto raised an eyebrow at Sasuke's glare as he stood up and started walking towards the bathroom

"I'm starving, go make some food!"

Naruto stopped in his tracks and threw Sasuke an incredulous look.

"No way! I'm not your personal slave, treating me like a fucking cockroach will get you nowhere," he continued on to the bathroom, aware of the dark aura behind him ,"besides, with you bitching and being a violent asshole all the time, why the fuck should I listen to you?"

Naruto shrieked, like a man if he did say so himself, when he was grabbed from behind and thrown back onto the couch.

"Naruto, tonight, you die by my hands," Sasuke smirked evilly and wrestled him down, pulling on his hair.

Ten painful minutes after, Naruto was left in pain and sniffling into his shirt, cursing at Sasuke's brutish ways. Sasuke himself was still standing over him, grinning smugly down at him.

"Teme! You call yourself human? How can beat up someone that you like – "

Naruto stopped himself before going further, knowing that he had fucked up.

Sasuke bent down, his dark eyes blazing,"Is this a joke to you?"

But Naruto wasn't one to back off, he refused to let Sasuke scare him, and even if he knew that most of this was his fault anyway.

"What's wrong, Sasuke? I find it hilarious. You're not even gay," he smirked up at Sasuke before pulling himself up.

_If I take this seriously, I won't be able to handle it._

"Don't worry, I'll make you your damn food," he walked off, leaving Sasuke behind, still feeling the heat from his dark gaze.

oxoxoxo

Naruto walked up the florist and quickly bought a bouquet of daisies, lilies and carnations. He walked briskly, jaw clenched as he kept bumping into people on the busy sidewalk. His stomach was in knots and his hands held onto the bouquet tightly. He loosened his hold on them as soon as he realized how tightly he was holding them and he smoothed his fingers over the smooth stalks almost apologetically.

He kept his eyes lowered, his feet knowing exactly where to go, even though each step hurt. When he raised his eyes, his breath hitched but he forced himself to look.

_Konoha Cemetery_

Naruto touched the tip of his black hat and lowered it over his eyes and continued walking through gravesites until he finally reached the one further inside.

_Kyuubi Namikaze_

He looked over the clean headstone, marble and white, black plaque outlined in gold and silently observed the other colorful bouquet gently laid out.

_They still look fresh. Somebody must've visited right before I did._

"Kyu, you're still pretty popular, aren't you," he muttered as he took off his hat and bowed his head down.

He bent his knees and knelt on the bright green grass.

"Of course…there were a lot of people that chased after you," Naruto carefully laid out his bouquet next to the other and smiled sadly down at the headstone. He swore that he could still hear Kyuubi's smooth tone, responding back with his usual sarcasm. If he closed his eyes, he could almost smell his familiar soft flowery scent and he could still feel his comforting arms around him, calming him down whenever things became too hard and he started freaking out.

"You know, it's weird. I've never dreamt about you."

Naruto settled down more comfortably on the ground as he wrapped his arms around his slightly bent legs, his chin resting up on his arms.

"You'd think that you would appear at least once, huh? Do you hate me that much?" Naruto's voice cracked and he cleared his throat, quickly blinking back any sign of tears.

_Even at the very end, all I wished was for you to appear before me and say something. Anything. Whether it was to get mad at me or yell at me, just anything._

"You're the bad one. No matter what I do, you don't say anything to me. You said that you could no longer be a part of my life and I guess even in death, that doesn't change."

_I thought I would be free. But in the end, this is all there is. This is all there ever was._

Naruto sniffed and picked himself up off the ground, dusting off his hat. He put it back on and lowered it back over his eyes, hoping that it'd be able to hide the tear tracks that ran down his cheeks.

He softly kissed his fingers and rested them against the carved stone, letting them linger in a gesture of longing.

_But you know…as shameless and obvious it is. A world without you…still goes on._

"Let's live on."

Naruto sighed and turned away, his hands in his pockets and started the long silent trek back home.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Dark polished shoes scuffed lightly against the grass, stopping in front of a beautiful headstone. A handsome man decked out in an expensive tailored suit raised an amused eyebrow at the bouquets resting over the grave. He looked over at the combination of carnation, lilies, and daisies. He knew only of one person who would've brought along all of Kyuubi's favorites.

The man's thin lips tilted into a cruel smirk and he pushed a lock of long black hair behind his ear. The sun's rays hit the man's eyes, making his odd light lavender eyes appear even more otherworldly.

"So…he came. Seems like I was a step behind," he chuckled, letting his bouquet of white roses lay along with Naruto's,"It's been a year since that day…I wonder how he's doing? I'd like to see him again, one day."

_Crying and clinging onto me desperately…what an adorable expression that was._

He could still taste Naruto's tears, sweet and salty. He could still feel Naruto's smooth skin against his lips. He could still remember the strong grip of Naruto's arms clenched tightly around his neck, his soft voice pleading and begging _oh so sweetly._

He chuckled.

_Someday._

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Naruto leaned back against the fountain, flicking absentmindedly at the water as he waited. He straightened up when he saw a silver haired man walk out of the hospital and he grinned.

"Hey old man! Catch a cold?"

Kakashi glanced casually at Naruto, flicking the ash off his cigarette, "Still alive and kicking, I see. Made it out without a scratch, tough bastard," he chuckled.

"Told ya, with a face like mine, the heavens are on my side," Naruto winked cheekily at the older man.

"Just thought I would pay you a visit, cause I owe you and all. There's…also something I want to ask you," Naruto fidgeted.

"…is it about Gaara?" Kakashi took a drag of his cigarette and looked expectedly at the blond.

"You can contact him, right?"

"You're really that curious? Why not just give it up, I think he's got a new lover by now," Kakashi smirked at him.

Naruto huffed and rolled his eyes," Everything that happened this time was your fault, for spreading those damn rumors in the first place."

Kakashi grinned smugly but quickly sobered up," He's hurt. He won't be able to go anywhere anytime soon, he's being kept an eye on. Someone's been taking care of the event, keep it quiet. If word gets out, he might go back to jail."

Naruto winced.

_All because of me, again._

Naruto turned slightly away from Kakashi and looked out into the crowd of people, trying to think of something that he could do to get Gaara out of this mess that was his fault in the first place.

"I don't understand it, though," Kakashi started, his gaze following Naruto.

The blond turned back towards him and raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"You have someone backing you, don't you? You could've easily have had Gaara and the money but you're too damn naïve."

"…what are you even talking about?" Naruto's eyebrows furrowed, his forehead creased in confusion.

"Do you really think," Kakashi stood up tall against Naruto," that I would let just anybody borrow a huge amount of money? I've looked into your background and I discovered somebody pretty damn influential."

Naruto's eyes widened and he shook his head," Who the hell are you talking?"

Kakashi lent in closer into Naruto's space, meeting his eyes.

"You already know the answer to that."

_Naruto._

Naruto shuddered, backing away quickly from Kakashi.

"Go back to where you came from. All you're doing is being a distraction to Gaara," Kakashi dropped his cigarette onto the ground and walked away without another word.

Naruto sighed and tugged on his hair. As if everything was really all that easy.

"Go back? To where?" he shook his head and sat down on the concrete steps.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Sasuke shuffled his feet in front of him, reluctantly walking back towards the apartment building. He felt that there was something changing. There was a finality in the actions of today as if things were going to change. And soon.

He wasn't sure where he fit in all of this or whether it'd even affect him, but it was a feeling in his gut, that told him that he was involved.

It was like the calm before the storm, but not exactly in that manner. He could smell the metaphorical lightning and the humidity in the air. But he could also feel that there never was any calm, it was more of an ongoing storm, part of something bigger.

Something stronger, more dangerous.

Sasuke scratched his head and decided to push it to furthest corner of his mind for now, he could focus on it more later on.

When Sasuke finally stopped in front of the apartment door, he smirked at the paper pinned to the door, with a chibi Naruto pointing to the words 'Come to the roof'. He shook his head once again at the blond's antics but was too tired and decided to indulge him just this once.

When he finally made it up the long case of stairs, he pushed open the door and stopped in his tracks at the figure in black that stood on the edge of the roof. His heart stopped for a minute before continuing on in a faster pace than usual.

He silently crept towards the distracted shape of Naruto and silently watched him, his blond hair glinting in the moonlight and the wind rustling the thin shirt that Naruto was wearing.

"You thinking of committing suicide or something?" Sasuke stepped onto the ledge and stood beside Naruto, casually looking out into the night. He took a vicious satisfaction at Naruto's small twitch, a startled look on his face.

"When'd you get here?"

Sasuke shrugged and ignored the question," If you were thinking of throwing yourself off, I'd hate to inform you of the obvious but I don't think it'd be a clean death," he fixed Naruto with a glare," besides, if you really want to do it, why don't you go do it somewhere else. Like, where I won't have to see you, dobe."

Not to mention that if Naruto tried jumping off, Sasuke would probably kill him himself.

"Why the hell would I try to kill myself?"

"Good," Sasuke quickly for Naruto, pulling him in by his shirt with a snarl," Don't ever fucking shock me like that again, otherwise, I'll be the one to kill you."

The force that Sasuke used to pull Naruto in then caused both of them to fall back onto the safety of the rooftop. Naruto yelled out in fear and grasped tightly on to Sasuke to avoid falling back.

Sasuke snickered and wrapped an arm around Naruto's waist, one of his hands resting lightly on his bottom, pulling him in closer. He chuckled at Naruto's panicked face and wide blue eyes and patted him on the head.

"Now you're back to being yourself."

Naruto reacted exactly as Sasuke thought he would, his cheeks flushed in embarrassment and he spluttered and pulled away from him. He cursed at him and kicked him but in the end, he calmed himself down enough to sulk instead.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and looked around instead, just now barely noticing the pizza and beer out on the roof.

"What's the occasion?"

Naruto glanced at him as he passed him a beer and leaned against the wall," Can't let it pass by, it is my birthday after all."

Sasuke paused in opening his beer and looked up at Naruto in surprise but the blond was avoiding his eyes and was looking elsewhere.

"Just shut up and drink with me."

He hadn't really noticed it before, but there was something different about Naruto tonight. Something melancholic and sad, his eyes trained into space as if reliving memories. Sasuke watched Naruto turn around to face the city, the lights illuminating his face and casting shadows across the sharp planes.

"Look at all the lights! Somewhere out there, there's somewhere that I need to go. But if I reach out, I feel like I'll never catch it. I feel like I'm going around in circles."

"Hn."

That sounded just like Naruto. Wild and lost and completely unpredictable. It was a reminder that Naruto could easily leave just as he had arrived so many months ago.

He wondered if he was the only one that had had the blond to himself like this. Or if there had been others before him.

"Let me give you some advice, Sasuke. Go home. I don't know how you got here, but you still have a family to go back to, don't you?"

He snorted. As if that hasn't been said before. His family made sure to never let him forget of how "supportive" they were.

"Sounds like something I've heard before. I don't think you, of all people, should really be telling me that," Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Why not? I ran away a few years ago too. I had my reasons, I thought that if I ran away, all my problems would disappear as well," Naruto took an absent swing of his beer, his eyes staring off at the city lights," I thought I could come back home whenever I wanted to, but that wasn't true. Problems appeared whether I was there or not. The way back home kept getting further away until I ended up a stray, with nowhere to go.

Don't end up like me, Sasuke. It's not too late for you to go back," Naruto finally, _finally_, looked back at him, his eyes sad and wise.

Sasuke was surprised with the information, it was the most honest he had seen Naruto since he had met him. It was also the only piece of information about his past that he had offered up, thus far. He briefly wondered what problems Naruto had ran away from but knew that if he asked, he wouldn't get an answer anyway.

"Hn. You don't think I've been told this before? I've been lectured by my brother many times already. I always knew that I would have to leave one day, it's only one of the reasons that I'm here."

Sasuke drained his beer and reached out to softly stroke Naruto's cheek," I'm here because I chose to be, not because I'm some 'lost stray'".

Naruto's lips parted in surprise and Sasuke found his gaze following them. He wanted to taste them badly.

"I'm curious…where did this stubbornness come from?"

Sasuke shrugged and kept his hand on Naruto's face," I don't care where I come from, what I want is right here," his hand slipped down to Naruto's chest and rested against where he could feel the quiet pulse of his heart," so there's no need to look anywhere else."

Blue eyes widened and blond lashes fluttered in disbelief. Sasuke found himself licking his lips.

"Naruto. I'm going to kiss you now."

He could see the surprise in Naruto's face, but he couldn't wait anymore. His patience had run out and it was a miracle that he had even lasted this long. He knew that right now, Naruto was still probably struggling to process the information given to him and Sasuke really hadn't anticipated making such a bold move but he found himself taken by such an intimate conversation. He leaned in closer to Naruto, his arms coming around to trap him. The least he could do however, was warn Naruto.

He wasn't a complete asshole, after all.

"What?! Wait…who said you could! Hey…hey, look, look a UFO," Naruto randomly pointed at something over his shoulder but Sasuke wasn't paying attention anymore. One of his hands grabbed Naruto's arm and pulled him in closer while the other settled on Naruto's neck. He touched his forehead to Naruto, his gaze devouring him with what he knew were hungry eyes.

"This time, I won't let you laugh it off."

And with that, Sasuke closed the distance between them, his arm wrapping tightly around Naruto's slim waist. Their teeth clanked together and Sasuke sucked on Naruto's bottom lip, tasting the beer from before and the sweetness that was solely Naruto. He groaned deep in his throat and pressed himself closer into Naruto, biting his lip and taking advantage of the blond's surprise to slip his tongue inside.

Somewhere between the first few seconds, Naruto's struggle had stopped and his hands rested lightly against Sasuke's biceps and he was making such _delicious_ noises and Sasuke growled approvingly, his tongue stroking against Naruto's, sucking on it lightly and exploring every fucking inch of Naruto's mouth. His lips ached and he could only imagine how it must feel for Naruto but he didn't want to stop, he never wanted to stop.

He heard quiet footsteps by the entrance of the rooftop and he narrowed his eyes and found Suigetsu staring at them in shock.

He was quickly running out of breath and judging by Naruto's gasps, so was he, so he detached himself from the blond and safely turned Naruto away and looked back at Suigetsu, smug about being seen. He hadn't planned anything like this, but was glad for the unexpected surprise anyway. Suigetsu needed to stop fantasizing and see that Naruto would never be his, because he already belonged to Sasuke. Sure, Suigetsu may have "technically" developed feelings for the blond first but he hadn't done anything to act on them as of yet and so Naruto was free game.

He held Naruto closer to him and Sasuke lent down and took Naruto's bottom lip in between his own and sucked, all the while still staring back at Suigetsu. He gave him a final smirk as Suigetsu left with heartbreak in his eyes.

Had Sasuke been a better man, he would've felt guilty. But honestly, it wasn't something that was going to keep him awake at night. There was no need to pretend that it would.

Luckily, Naruto had been too dumbstruck to have noticed what had happened. Unfortunately, that didn't last long because although his cheeks were still flushed, the glaze over his eyes disappeared far too quickly.

Sasuke sighed and prepared himself.

"Why…do you keep doing this?! I was going to forgive you for what you did to me last time…but –"

"This isn't the first time I've kissed you," he cut in, holding on tight to Naruto, knowing that he would try to escape if he didn't," nor is it the second, nor the third."

Naruto tried pushing away but Sasuke held on strong," What are you saying?! What have you done to me, pervert?!"

"I've decided to come clean with you. I don't know what you're looking for but you don't have to struggle with it anymore," Sasuke made sure that Naruto was looking back at him," I'll watch over you."

"Don't look anywhere else, don't think about anyone else," his hands gently held Naruto's face," look only at me."

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Naruto fidgeted on the floor and kept his eyes on the floor. His arms were wrapped around himself and he kept biting down on his lip, trying to keep the nerves under control.

It was really hard to do that though, when he could feel Sasuke's eyes on him. It also didn't help that he was resting on the bed right in front of him casually and had been for the last two hours.

Two hours of silence and staring.

It was really hard for Naruto to keep quiet most times but this time, he really didn't know what to say. He was still somewhat shocked and he couldn't believe what had just transpired.

If it wasn't for the clear memory of Sasuke's lips moving against his, then Naruto would've happily written it away as a dream.

A very terrifying dream, but a dream nonetheless.

When Naruto had planned the pizza dinner for them on the rooftop, he hadn't expected that it would've turned out anything like this.

Naruto groaned inwardly and mentally slapped himself.

_I've never felt so uncomfortable in my life._

And that was counting all his embarrassing moments that still made him wince in pain whenever he thought about them. He could still feel Sasuke against him and the harsh kisses laid desperately upon his lips. He felt like Sasuke had been trying to swallow him whole, as if he was trying to devour his mouth.

Naruto didn't know whether he should've found that disturbing or attractive.

He chanced a glance towards Sasuke and found that the raven still hadn't looked away. In fact, the expression on his face had become even more intense than before. Regardless of the intensity, Sasuke still wasn't saying anything and that was just so _unsettling_.

It wasn't like Sasuke to keep quiet without throwing any insults or snarky remarks. The longer the silence went on, the more Naruto found himself wanting to rip his hair out from the stress.

"What do you want from me?" he cried out desperately and looked up pleadingly at Sasuke. He hoped that it would be enough to snap Sasuke out of his daze, perhaps even get him to leave him alone.

Of course Naruto should've known better than to have hope when it came to Sasuke.

His eyes nearly popped out when Sasuke finally moved, not away, but towards him. Naruto quickly backed up to put space in between them.

"Stop! Don't come near me…let's just talk!" Naruto pushed out his lower lip and pulled out his "puppy eyes" card.

Fortunately, that seemed to have done the trick and Sasuke stopped in his tracks and tilted his head to side.

"Why won't you answer me? When a person confesses his feelings to you, shouldn't he get some kind of response?"

_Confess? It sounded more like insanity._

Before Naruto could even open his mouth to start yelling at Sasuke, the damn teme interrupted him with "Of course, there could only be one answer," and threw him a cocky smirk.

_The nerve of this bastard._

Naruto grit his teeth," How the fuck do you expect me to respond?! Can't you see how against this I am?"

"Why are you so upset? You should take this as an opportunity and experience the variety in the world," Sasuke raised a sardonic eyebrow.

"Are you crazy?!"

"What's the problem? Do you think there are a lot of guys like me out there? You should feel gratified."

Naruto didn't even know how to respond to the sheer amount of bullshit coming out of Sasuke's mouth.

_Are we even…on the same wavelength? _

"Or is it that you think I'm too good for you," Sasuke stepped closer to Naruto but stopped once the blond held up a hand to stop him," don't worry, I'll take care of everything."

And the truth was that Sasuke looked completely serious. Maybe he truly did believe what he was saying.

_Has he finally lost his mind?_

Naruto didn't even know how they got to this point, right here and now, a couple of months ago, Naruto could've sworn that Sasuke hated him. Somewhere along the line, something must've changed drastically and Naruto hadn't even noticed.

He took a deep breath," Sasuke, I know that my beauty may have finally paralyzed your brain, but there's just something that you can't ignore," Naruto fingered the buttons of his shirt and deftly starting unbuttoning them until his shirt hung lose and open," I'm a man."

He even held his shirt open with both of his hands so he could show Sasuke that he clearly didn't have tits.

"Yeah. I know, you're definitely a guy," Sasuke gave him an appraising once over and Naruto quickly buttoned his shirt back up.

"Fine. Besides the fact that I'm a _guy_…who would even like such an asshole like you?"

Naruto crossed his arms in front of him defiantly and held back from flinching at the dark glare Sasuke gave him.

"Sasuke, I understand, you're away from home and your family and so you latch on to the first person you come across and make them your surrogate family. If that person happened to be a show-stopping beauty like me, then so be it, but you have to understand that you're making a huge mistake!"

Naruto didn't even know where he was going with this, he had an idea earlier but quickly lost himself in his explanations.

He didn't know how long he had been ranting for and didn't even fully remember, just small parts that included the words "teenage hormones" and "strange incidents with men". By the time that he had stopped talking, Naruto was gasping for air and his throat felt dry.

Sasuke had his headphones over his ears and was bobbing his head to whatever stupid music he was listening to. When he saw that Naruto was done, he pulled them off and looked at him expectedly as if Naruto hadn't been talking for the past ten minutes.

_Asshole._

"Naruto, it's too late. I'm already hooked."

Naruto couldn't handle the way that Sasuke was looking at him right now. He looked at him as if he was someone important, as if he hung the moon. His gaze was honest and determined, and had it been any other situation, Naruto would've been impressed.

"I don't plan to stop."

"Why are you so stubborn? Do you just think that everything will work out if you're persistent?" Naruto sat down on the ground, mind exhausted from sifting through revelations.

Sasuke bent down to join him on the ground," I don't really need your answer anyway. You're such a damn coward that thinking through this would just be an excuse to put it off for years. Just because it's a bit out of order, it doesn't change how everything will eventually end."

"But…but…you won't really do that, right?" the blond scooted away from Sasuke without trying to look suspicious.

He whimpered when Sasuke smirked and then he pounced. Naruto winced when his head his the ground and found himself pinned down by Sasuke's body, wrists gripped tight in his hands.

"I'll make this easier for you. From now on, we're dating."

"I ref –"

"If you say that you refuse, my control _might_ slip. After all, I don't seem to have anything else other than my 'teenage hormones'".

Naruto gasped and bucked upwards, trying to dislodge Sasuke, but it was fruitless. The damn bastard was too heavy and strong.

_Fuck!_

He should've ran the minute he sensed something but instead of his stupidity stuck around and now he's stuck underneath a horny teenager with no help. When Naruto managed to kick Sasuke's shin, he turned over and tried quickly crawling away. Unfortunately, Sasuke recovered quickly and his body was once again covered by Sasuke's heat. His back was up against Sasuke's chest and one of his hands was sneaking up into his shirt.

Naruto blushed and spluttered but he knew that he only had one choice if he wanted to get out of this situation with his body intact.

"OK fine, I get it! I'll…consider going out with you," Naruto felt Sasuke's body tense above him and he was quickly released and turned around to face Sasuke.

"Really?" Sasuke asked dubiously, a dark brow raised questioningly.

_Fuck no. I'll be out of here and on the road as soon as the sun comes up._

Naruto chuckled weakly and forced on a smile," Of course…give me more time. It's too sudden."

Not only was it too sudden but it was also too unthinkable.

Sasuke smiled softly at him, oblivious to the thoughts plaguing Naruto's mind and Naruto felt guilty.

"Fine, if that's the case, I can wait."

Naruto gulped and tried to not feel too guilty but at this point, the guilt was growing by the minute as he looked as the hopeful look in Sasuke's eyes.

It's not that a relationship would Sasuke would be bad…per say. Only that his life was complicated enough without a relationship getting in the way. There were things that Sasuke didn't need in his life and Naruto was definitely one of them.

"You'd better think it over very well. For the sake of your future _and_ your body," Sasuke smirked as he pinched Naruto's cheek.

_Definitely going to leave without a doubt, teme._

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"I put the requested things in the locker, there's also a small gift in there for you," Gaara tightened his grip on the phone as he looked at said locker, already reaching forward to spin the lock combination.

The voice in his ear paid no attention to his silence and continued talking instead," Naruto came in and left an address for you."

Gaara indulged and allowed himself to savor the small thrill of happiness that bloomed in his chest. The locker snapped opened and the only thing within it was a packet, beside it was a small piece of paper with an address scrawled hurriedly onto it.

He quickly recognized the messy shorthand and his lips twitched up minutely.

"Are you going to meet him?"

Gaara folded the scrap of paper carefully and placed it into the inside packet of his jacket. He grabbed the packet and slammed the locker door closed.

There was no need to answer. The response was already obvious.

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_Naruto…Naruto._

He could feel a gentle hand stroking his face.

_Naruto…get up, it's morning._

He could already make out the red hair and those soft green eyes that always looked at him with such kindness.

Naruto had missed his voice. It always made him feel protected. Safe.

He could hear soft mumbling in his ear and he groaned, trying to cling onto the small sliver of sleep that was still hanging on to him.

"If you don't wake up, I'm going to kiss you!"

Naruto jolted awake at those words, his eyes flashed open and he shot up straight in his bed.

"Wha…," he mumbled in confusion, a sleepy haze still cast over his mind.

"I'm leaving. We're having dinner out today, so don't be lazing around and actually meet on time for once."

Naruto got up when Sasuke pulled him out of bed and he followed behind sluggishly, dragging his feet on the ground as Sasuke led him to the door.

"Do you understand what I'm saying?"

_So…sleepy…_

"Mhm, yeah, right, go, work, whatever…take care…see you later…" Naruto trailed off with a yawn, "bring back ramen…be careful…" he continued on, eyes unfocused and brain still not fully online yet.

His eyes were slipping shut again and he heard a rustle of cloth in front of him but couldn't find the strength to look. So when he felt firm lips against him, softly caressing him, he truly couldn't be blamed for the shout that escaped him.

His eyes snapped open and as one of Sasuke's hand curled around the back of his neck to pull him in closer. Naruto was still frozen in shock and couldn't move when Sasuke's other hand wrapped around his waist.

The kiss was hungry, dirty and quick. Naruto could feel himself flushing; in anger or in pleasure, he wasn't too sure. Sasuke's tongue swiped across his bottom lip, playfully teasing and pulled away just as quick.

It wasn't until Sasuke had left with a smug smirk that he his senses finally kicked in and Naruto's knees felt weak. He collapsed onto the ground, his knees hitting the hardwood painfully. Naruto swiped his hand against his lips, as if he could wipe away the evidence of the kiss.

He could still feel it and his lips were tingling.

_Fuck. Such a fucking asshole. Fuck you._

"I'm wide awake now," Naruto sighed and shook his head.

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Sasuke scowled at the girls that lingered beside him. They probably thought that he hadn't realized how obvious they were being but he wasn't an idiot nor was he blind. They had been watching him for the last twenty minutes and their simpering had become annoying the first five minutes.

He looked down at his watch again.

With every minute that had passed by without Naruto showing up, Sasuke's mood had worsened. He had been waiting for an hour but he couldn't just leave either.

What if Naruto ended up showing and he wasn't there?

No, he'd just wait for him, it's not like he was in any hurry to go back to the apartment either.

The past few hours had been eventful to say the least and he knew that those changes were not ones that would've been appreciated by Naruto. But Sasuke really had planned on waiting and not pushing Naruto, however, it had become too much of a difficulty to hide his feelings.

In the end, Sasuke hadn't seen a problem in letting his feelings become known, he knew that Naruto was at least attracted to him, even if he didn't want to admit it. The way that he had reacted to their first kiss was evidence of that.

Sasuke closed his eyes and could still remember the feel of Naruto's slim body pressed up against his.

Naruto obviously wasn't going to admit to anything anytime soon, so it was really up to Sasuke to win him over. It wasn't going to be easy, not by a long shot, but Sasuke had a feeling that if he persisted, Naruto would have no choice other than to finally realize that he was his.

The problem was how to go about convincing him.

The blond was stubborn, irritatingly so. And Sasuke didn't really have much of an experience as to how to even seduce someone like Naruto.

With past hook ups, Sasuke was always the one being pursued. Women came to _him_, not the other way around. He was handsome and Sasuke knew that he had a nice body; women were just naturally attracted to him.

So what did Sasuke have to do to seduce Naruto?

Pretty words wouldn't work, Naruto wasn't an idiot and he would see right through them. Gifts, although appreciated, also wouldn't work. Naruto wouldn't let himself be bought, especially when he was wagering something like his feelings. Furthermore, Naruto was a man and Sasuke had absolutely zero experience with that.

It was the first time he had ever been attracted to someone of the same sex and Sasuke was surprised that he had absolutely no problem with that.

Sasuke shifted on the bench and his scowl deepened when he saw that fifteen minutes had passed since the last time he had checked the time.

_Damn dobe._

_Where are you?_

And to add on to the dilemma, although Sasuke was sure that Naruto was at least a bit attracted to him, he didn't know how he truly felt towards him. He had been too concerned with making his feelings known that he hadn't even thought about how to deal with the lack of response.

He would admit that it did hurt a bit.

But Sasuke was nothing if not resilient and persistent.

_If our feelings are in sync…there's no doubt…_

He could see Naruto's tan face in his mind, blond hair falling into his cerulean eyes. The way they twinkled with mirth when he was amused or how they flared in anger when he was furious. He could see Naruto's pink lips, how they twisted when he was confused or how soft and pouty they were when mobile.

Sasuke clenched his teeth.

Naruto wasn't showing up and right now he was imagining the worst case scenario. He would get home after waiting for another hour or two, ready for an angry confrontation with Naruto about lazing around. But instead he'd see an empty apartment with no trace of Naruto left behind.

Considering Naruto's personality, it was definitely a possibility that couldn't be ruled out.

Sasuke sighed and covered his mouth with his hand.

_Dammit._

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Naruto leaned against the brick wall, quietly observing Sasuke. He had gotten to the spot a half hour earlier than Sasuke but felt no desire to let it known that he was there. For an hour, he had watched Sasuke's body tense up further every time he looked at this watch. For an hour, he had watched the passersby stop and stare at the young man.

Naruto wouldn't deny that Sasuke was very attractive. It was one of the first things he had noticed, when he saw him on the train a lifetime ago. But it also wasn't something that he thought too much about.

That is, until recently.

His emotions were jumbled and it was difficult to admit that he may have developed a soft spot for the raven, regardless of his abrasive and dark personality.

It was difficult to admit but Naruto wasn't as oblivious as he led people to believe.

Shame gnawed at his stomach as Sasuke's posture slumped and for the first time, he looked lost. He truly looked like the kid that he was and Naruto swallowed down the urge to run.

He had planned on leaving as soon as he could but he quickly realized that he couldn't do that to Sasuke. It was cruel and mean and even if he was an asshole, Sasuke didn't deserve that. He got the feeling that he was the only person that Sasuke felt close to right now and Naruto could remember that feeling of having no one around that cared.

Also, he found it harder than he expected to, to leave. He had his suitcase out at the apartment, ready to cram it with his things but found that he couldn't move past even picking up his clothes. He had stared at his suitcase for an hour, not fully understanding why it was so difficult to just up and _go._

Along the way, Sasuke had crawled underneath his skin and Naruto hadn't even noticed. He had gotten so deep into Naruto's head, that it was hard to even contemplate leaving without Sasuke.

Sasuke, who had risked himself time and time again for Naruto. Who asked questions and who was impatient but never physically forced him to talk about things he didn't want to. Sasuke, who was impatient and broody and terrifying but who was also just a good guy, even if he pretended otherwise.

Naruto bit his lip and walked out of his hiding spot and walked over to Sasuke, stopping right in front of the bent figure on the bench. He saw the exact minute that Sasuke realized he was right in front of him, when the raven stilled and slowly looked up.

He could clearly see the relief in his eyes but it was quickly hidden away by the anger.

"You look sick," Naruto simply stated and looked around at the stares they were attracting.

He could visibly see the moment that Sasuke snapped.

"Really? That's all you can say? You're an hour late!"

"But there was traffic," he whined piteously.

"Couldn't you fucking call?!"

"My service was cut off!"

"Then hurry up and pay your goddamn bills, you lazy leech!"

"What did you just call me?!"

Sasuke got up off the bench and glared at him," Now my plans have to change because you you're late, hurry the fuck up."

Naruto found himself beside Sasuke and tensed when he felt a casual arm drape itself heavily over his shoulder. Naruto's eye twitched and he stretched, raising his arms up high and sighed in relief when that managed to dislodge the arm around his shoulders.

He tried walking off but was quickly stopped by an arm sneaking behind him to wrap around his hip instead. That same arm pulled him in closer to Sasuke's side and Naruto glanced up to see Sasuke's smirk. Naruto bristled and if he was cat, he would've been spitting and hissing, claws ready to attack.

"You…take your hands off of me!"

Sasuke chuckled and only pulled him in closer, leaning down to whisper into his ear," I can keep holding you like this or I can kiss you right here and now. I can ravage you in front of all these people. Which do you prefer?"

Naruto bit the inside of his cheek and narrowed his eyes in anger. There was a small voice in the back of mind, commenting on how just one of Sasuke's arms could wrap itself perfectly around Naruto, as if it was meant to be there, but Naruto shook the thought out of his head.

Now was definitely not the time to be thinking about such stupid things.

Naruto grinned as one of his hands inched down to Sasuke's ass and pinched a firm cheek.

"Your ass is pretty firm."

Sasuke's lips pursed and his hands reached up to pinch and stretch Naruto's cheeks. Naruto's face was probably red, he could already tell from the throbbing. His face would be flushed for the rest of the day.

_Fucking bastard._

He stepped on Sasuke's foot and the raven bit his arm.

He could only wonder how they had gotten to this and it was times like this that even though they had childish fights, Naruto could appreciate the beauty of his relationship with Sasuke. He gave back as good as he got and it was actually _fun_.

After ten minutes of name calling and stares from the people passing by, Naruto finally came to the conclusion that to other people, this behavior was probably atrocious and if they didn't stop the police would probably come and arrest them on the spot for disturbing the peace.

Naruto pushed Sasuke away for a moment and reached down to grab onto his hand. He secretly marveled at the strong calloused hand and intertwined their fingers together.

"Fine, here. We can hold hands instead," Naruto shook their joined hands and put his other free hand on his hip. Sasuke squeezed their hands in amusement and turned away, but not before Naruto could see the small smile lingering on Sasuke's lips.

Naruto's own mouth twitched but he refused to let his amusement be known. It was better to pretend that he was an idiot that couldn't understand.

He shot a side glance at Sasuke's profile.

Truthfully, the whole time that he watched Sasuke, his heart felt heavy. A weight settled upon his shoulders and he found it hard to breathe.

His heart hurt.

_I wonder why._

Naruto enjoyed the dominance that Sasuke exuded and the heat from his hand was comforting, an anchor that calmed him.

_Until I know the reason…I want to stay like this for a while longer._

He could get used to this.

"What're we doing," Naruto asked, curious as to where Sasuke was taking him.

"Food first," was all that was said as they crossed the street.

Naruto grinned and was about to reply when he caught a flash of red in the corner of his eye. The streets were busy and there were people crowding around them, but he knew that he hadn't imagined it. He stopped and looked back and his eyes widened.

He could recognize that shade of red anywhere. The broad shoulders and the long legs, the confident way the man walked.

Naruto quickly drew away from Sasuke and ran back, ignoring Sasuke's calls. He could deal with Sasuke later but if he let this man go, he had the feeling that he would regret it very much so later on. He ran until he finally reached the man. He gently touched the back of the man's arm and wrapped his arm around it, stopping the man in his tracks.

When the man turned around, even though Naruto had been hoping, he couldn't believe it. Soft green eyes looked back at him, pale lips parted in a show of surprise.

"Gaara…where are you going?" Naruto sidled up to the man, looking up hungrily at the man he had missed terribly. He had changed, not dramatically, but Naruto could tell. Gaara had been sharp before but now there was something different, something darker lurking behind those emerald eyes.

Gaara smiled softly down at him and stroked his hair.

"To you…I was heading over to see you, Naruto."

Naruto choked on a sob, his eyes quickly filling up with tears. He launched himself at Gaara, his arms wrapping around the other's neck, while Gaara's rested on his hips. He rested his chin at the space where Gaara's neck and shoulder met and Naruto breathed in Gaara's spicy scent.

He had missed this.

Missed _him_ so much.

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A/N: I've been very busy. It's been hard to write this chapter because I get home very late and by the time I'm in bed, all I want to do is sleep. In other news, this chapter was 25 pages and 9.8k, I have no idea how I ended up with more pages than words but I'll try not to think about that right now. I just find it funny that I had estimated 17-20 pages and instead ended up writing 5 more than planned.

I'll be working on the next chapter right away.

Also, I think my writing style has changed since the first chapter? I feel like it has, I don't know, maybe I'm losing my mind but it has been two years since I started this story.

Read, review, favorite, follow.


	11. And Thus We Begin

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto nor do I own The Summit

A/N: I actually meant to have this up earlier, but I couldn't find the time. I live in GA, so winter punched us unexpectedly. My pipes froze and then burst and my house flooded. I had a breakdown and I cried.

Therefore, this will be a short chapter, sorry guys, at least it's something.

Onwards.

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Chapter 11

And Thus We Begin

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_I hear a voice say "Don't be so blind"  
>it's telling me all these things<br>that you would probably hide  
>am I your one and only desire<br>am I the reason you breathe  
>or am I the reason you cry<em>

Always – Saliva

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For Sasuke, it was like time had stopped. He could only stand there, stupefied and dumbstruck, as Naruto was caught in another man's embrace. The moments between the changing of the street light, when the buses sped by and obscured his view, seemed like an eternity to Sasuke. He didn't know what had just occurred, everything had happened too fast for him to understand. All he knew was that Naruto had been by his side one minute, and then next, he was throwing himself into another man's arms. It kept replaying in his head for the short minutes where we had no choice but to stay on the other side of the street.

This was it; he could feel it – the beginning of the end.

He barely managed to snap out of his daze when he felt people bumping into his side, in a hurry to cross the street, now that the light had changed. Sasuke clenched his jaw and strode over to Naruto but not before schooling his features into those of indifference.

It wouldn't do well to show the twinge of pain he was feeling.

He silently observed the red haired man and already knew that it was the same man that he had seen at the abandoned building just a few days ago. He wanted to pull Naruto out of his arms, snap at him, and tell him to back off. He wanted to tell him to go away and never come back, to tell him that Naruto was his and he was not going to lose him, not to anybody and especially not to him, not when he was so close.

But Sasuke did nothing and instead, stopped within a few inches of them.

Both of them, Naruto and the mysterious "Gaara", were completely oblivious to anybody else. Naruto was clenching tightly onto Gaara, head buried into his chest, his back rising along with his hitching sobs. Gaara had his arms wrapped tightly around Naruto and he was softly whispering into Naruto's ear.

It was intimate. Too intimate for him to wrap his head around at the moment.

Sasuke scowled with obvious irritation at the open display of affections of both parties, his hands clenched by his side.

"Well, isn't this a touching scene," Sasuke smirked and folded his arms across his chest.

Naruto jumped, startled, and the redhead looked up and regarded him with a cool gaze.

Although Sasuke loathed to admit, the redhead ("Gaara", his mind suggested snappily) was attractive enough. He wasn't one for appreciating a guy's aesthetic appearance (until Naruto came along of course), but this was a man that caught one's attention. It wasn't as soft or intrigued as Naruto but it felt forceful and sharp, cold.

"I don't know who you are and I really don't give a fuck either way," Sasuke growled," but let go of him _now_," he reached out and with a quick hand, pulled Naruto away.

He'd be damned if he let this ridiculous display go on any further, not while he was around to put an end to it.

The redhead's green eyes regarded him and Sasuke's skin prickled, the hair on his neck standing. This wasn't an ordinary man, his eyes felt like they were stripping him down and dissecting his intestines and ripping into him. He was dangerous and all he wanted to do was to get Naruto away from him, lock him away until this was just a fading memory.

Sasuke held tight onto Naruto, arms wrapping around his shoulders and hands steadying the still crying blond.

"He's with me now, so just go back to wherever the fuck you were going," he glared.

He felt a weak push on his chest and he looked down in surprise as Naruto pulled away from him, face blotchy from the tears. His hands were held out in front of himself protectively and his eyes were still scrunched up as he sniffled.

"Let…go…" Naruto said with a sob and turned back quickly to the damned redhead.

Sasuke ignored the pain in his chest as Naruto turned away from him. If he hadn't been watching, he wouldn't have seen how Gaara's cold gaze had softened as he looked down at Naruto, hands rubbing his back soothingly.

Sasuke bit the inside of his cheek.

_Fuck._

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Naruto wished that he could stop himself from crying, because he had no doubt that he looked ridiculous, but he really couldn't, no matter how hard he tried. The tears kept on coming, hot and wet against his face, and he couldn't keep the sounds from coming out of his mouth. Pathetic and whiny sobs were all he could handle, and he was surprised that Gaara hadn't simply ran away from how utterly ridiculous he was being.

"Don't cry…Naruto, everybody is watching," Gaara held on to him on the wooden bench, hands resting gently on his face, as he continuously kept wiping the tears away.

"I'm sorry, I've been so worried. I tried looking for you everywhere and I couldn't find you," Gaara murmured into his ear, holding Naruto against him.

If Naruto could stop crying, he would've laughed. Here was Gaara, trying to comfort him and all Naruto could do was blubber on uselessly. There was a part of him that still couldn't believe what was going on. Gaara was right in from of him, there was no doubt about that, but Naruto felt like it was just one of his dreams. He couldn't have imagined this happening, no matter how much he had wanted it.

He had missed Gaara incredibly. He had been such an integral part of Naruto's life, that when Gaara was gone, Naruto had felt lost. He had wandered endlessly, it had seemed, broken. Gaara had been the one stability in his life, the strong force that nobody could knock down, the strength that held Naruto up.

He had been family.

"Gaara…" Naruto sniffled," Kyuubi is …" he hiccupped and bit down on his lip to stop the fresh sob that wanted to free itself from his throat.

Gaara looked at him with his kind eyes," I know. I'm late, I apologize. I should've been there for you and I left you all alone. I'm sorry."

Naruto just pressed his face against Gaara's shoulder in response.

"I'll never make you go through that again," Gaara smiled softly down at him.

_Why are you apologizing? _

_I made you lose everything; I'm the one that gave you scars that will never be erased. _

"But…you…don't hate me?" he hated how small and weak he sounded, but he couldn't help but feel that the answer could very well make or break him. Gaara had every reason to hate him, had it been Naruto, there wouldn't have been a different choice.

"Naruto," Gaara lifted his head up to look at him directly," I could never hate you. None of this is any of your fault, I've never once blamed you for anything, don't ever think that I do."

Naruto felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. He hadn't realized how much of a weight it had been, how much he had been carrying for years now. He knew that he would still blame himself, perhaps as much as before regardless, but he hadn't realized how much of a difference hearing Gaara's words would make. For Gaara to tell Naruto that he hadn't spent all these years hating Naruto, it was such a huge relief. He had spent all his life ruining his relationship with everybody; to know that he hadn't ruined_ this_ was the best feeling.

His sobs died out and his cheeks felt sticky from the tear tracks. His breath still hitched and he tried to control himself.

He felt Gaara shift and then he was pulling away. Naruto looked up in confusion, sensing the tension that was now apparent in Gaara. He stood up and patted his pocket and pulled out a small phone.

"Naruto, I have somewhere I need to be," Gaara held out the phone to him and Naruto took it," No one knows this number but me."

Naruto wanted to protest, he hadn't had even close to the enough amount of time with Gaara. But he also knew that he couldn't hold Gaara back, it was never something that he could do.

Gaara always knew better.

Naruto nodded and held the phone close to him as he stood up.

"Is he someone you can trust," Gaara gestured towards Sasuke, who was leaning against a street post and looking out into the crowd.

Honestly, Naruto had almost forgotten about Sasuke. He could vaguely remember an argument but everything else had been taken up by Gaara. He really hadn't meant to forget about him and he now felt guilty.

"Yeah…he's a good guy."

More than good, actually. But there was no time to explain, not now.

Naruto could see that Gaara didn't really believe him, but he just nodded.

"I'll come pick you up soon."

Naruto eyes widened at the implication but was quickly distracted by Sasuke's presence. It looked like his patience had all but evaporated and he was scowling darkly at Gaara.

He could already feel that this was going to be a problem and Naruto wasn't at all in a hurry to explain. Not that he ever was.

Gaara ignored the obvious glare that Sasuke was throwing at him and handed Naruto off gently to the other man.

"I'm entrusting him to you. He never stops crying once he gets started," Gaara looked at Naruto with fond eyes and Naruto blushed.

"Gaar-"

He felt rough hands pull him back towards a hard chest. He smelt Sasuke's familiar aftershave and his familiar arms wrapped themselves around his waist.

Naruto could feel the tension crackling in the air. Naruto knew Gaara well enough to know that it was dangerous to provoke Gaara. He will have to make sure that Sasuke knew that as well or else things could get really messy, really quickly.

He looked at Gaara and knew that he wanted to say something but was holding himself back. Green eyes looked at him for confirmation and Naruto nodded. Gaara's eyes searched him for a few more seconds before he turned away and walked away.

Naruto resisted the strong urge to pull him back, to tell him to never leave, to never let him out of his sight again.

No, Gaara wouldn't forget about him. Naruto was sure of that now.

He had to be.

He could only watch Gaara walk away, his figure becoming smaller and smaller in the distance. He could only stand there, feeling lost, with Sasuke's arms wrapped tightly around him and he could only trust that he would see Gaara once again.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Gaara walked into the luxurious living room, feeling out of place in his ratty jeans and simple black shirt. He felt warm all over, he hadn't been this _warm_ in years.

_Naruto, Naruto, Naruto_

He schooled his features into indifference once again as he came upon the form on the couch. A man was sitting back on a leather couch, dressed in his signature designer suit. His legs were crossed and in his hands laid a newspaper. He could see the story that had caught the man's attention and he mentally sighed.

"You're late, I expected you earlier," the man casually flipped a page without looking up at him," I told you to not go around first without reporting to me."

Gaara clenched his jaw," I didn't think that it was necessary when it concerns personal matters."

There was nothing that could make Gaara talk about Naruto, not to this man.

The man paused in his reading and folded up the newspaper neatly. He looked up at him, his long hair falling neatly around his shoulders, pale eyes cutting into him sharply.

He chuckled darkly and stood up, tall and proud. Gaara stepped back instinctively.

"I suggest that you don't speak to me that way, especially if you do not want to go back to jail."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

(psssst, let me know if there are any mistakes)


	12. There's No Giving Up

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything.

A/N: I've decided that I will not be posting extra-long chapters anymore because they take up a lot of time and they tend to tire me out and make me not want to write. I had originally planned for this chapter to not be so long but I got really carried away. Next chapters will be shorter. I hope.

Unbeta-ed, please let me know if I have made any mistakes and I will go back to correct them.

**Warning: Angst, violence, backstory and hey, we get actual smut this time. SMUT. It's a bit dub-con too, if you squint. Feel free to skip it, I don't want to hear any complaints because I've had everyone ask me for more of the sexy stuff so I'm making sure I deliver, don't judge me.**

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Chapter 12

There's No Giving Up

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

_I hope you feel the way I do  
>I hope you give yourself up too<br>I'm damned to feel the way I do  
>what have I done<br>to fall so hard  
>for you<em>

_**What I have I Done – Anna Ternheim**_

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

The first time that Gaara had seen him, it was as a visitation in the penitentiary where he had been held for the last year and a half. He had shuffled in; in his dark jumpsuit and with his hands handcuffed tightly in front of him and was slightly curious as to who could have possibly wanted to see him.

When he had entered the room and had seen the figure that was leaning against the wall, he had tensed up. It was not somebody that he had ever talked to but he had seen him around enough, just small glimpses of the man.

He was dressed elegantly in a black trench coat that was open just so to display his tasteful suit and in between his leather clad fingers, he casually held a cigarette, smoke billowing gently from the end. His long black hair was swept back neatly and although Gaara had been in the room for about five minutes, the man still had not turned to look at him. He was looking out through one of the windows and the sun that shone through was bright enough that it made the man look positively regal.

When the man finally did deign to turn his eyes towards him, it was with a mocking gleam in his pale eyes and a smirk on his pale lips.

"It is too bad that you will most probably rot in here," he remarked.

"You…" Gaara, for the life of him, could not figure out why this man had come to see him.

"You know me?" the man pulled out a chair and sat down, staring pointedly at the seat in front of him.

"I have seen you with Kyuubi."

Had seen him so much around the redhead that he was starting to wonder if they had been together. As far as he knew, Kyuubi was the only one that the man seemed to tolerate. But he had not only seen him around Kyuubi, he had also seen him with Naruto.

"How is Kyuubi?"

He wondered if he was looking after Naruto, if he was keeping him safe enough. He wondered a lot about Naruto and worried constantly, for he hadn't seen the younger boy in almost two years.

"He died a year and a half ago," the man pulled out another cigarette and lit it, tone bland and disinterested "It was a car accident, there was almost nothing left of him."

Which meant that if Kyuubi was gone then…

"Naruto?"

"Naruto? Isn't he the reason for why you're here?"

"He had nothing to do with this," Gaara was tired of people blaming Naruto. He was in no way responsible for the outcome and he in no way, faulted him. Naruto was the only innocent party in this whole mess and he could never hate Naruto for it.

He could never hate Naruto for anything.

"People do say that you both did share a rather bizarre relationship," the man smirked.

Gaara glared, green eyes blazing; "I don't know what you are talking about."

The man made a disbelieving noise but didn't mention it any further," After the funeral, he disappeared, I suppose he was devastated. I wouldn't be surprised if he was living somewhere out in the streets."

That had been exactly what Gaara hadn't wanted. He had left Naruto behind because he had hoped that he would've had enough protection to keep him safe. As much as Kyuubi and Gaara didn't get along, Kyuubi adored Naruto and would've done everything for him. To know that nobody knew where Naruto was or what he was even doing, unsettled him deeply.

"You're worried. But you can't do anything, not stuck in here, anyway."

He knew what this was. It was an offer and if he didn't accept it, he would be stuck in this place here while Naruto was out there without anybody to save him.

"What do you want?" jaw set and eyes cold.

"Let's get you out of here," he smirked, amusement clear in his eyes.

He stood up and brushed himself off," My name is Neji Hyuga. And if you accept my conditions, the next time we meet, it will be as a lawyer and his client," he held his hand out in front of him, posture confident.

He knew he couldn't refuse the outstretched hand. He knew that no matter the conditions, he would accept whatever they were, just so that he could see Naruto again. If he could only see him, just to make sure that he was alright. If only he could see his smile again, it would be enough. Naruto: flesh and blood, neither an illusion nor a dream.

x-x

Gaara looked at his hand, the one that had held Naruto against him. He could still feel his warmth, could still smell his sweet scent. Sunshine and the sea and the sweetness that always followed him. He was solid and real and beautiful, even more so than he had remembered. Memories did him no justice.

Hyuga stood up and donned his suit jacket, buttoning it up as he walked towards the door.

"There is a business trip. You'll be coming along with me."

Gaara said nothing; he knew that Hyuga wasn't waiting for a confirmation or a protest. It was a stated fact, an order and nothing less.

The impressive figure stopped in front of the door and turned his head to look back at him, sharp calculating eyes running over him.

"You haven't seen him yet. What has kept you so busy?"

Naruto. He should've known that he would ask, he usually always did. Gaara fixed him with an impassive look and turned to fetch his jacket.

"Not yet."

"How disappointing, Gaara. Perhaps I have overestimated you."

Neji opened the door and walked away, leaving Gaara to follow behind.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Sasuke stopped at the soft sniffles coming from inside the bedroom and peeked in, teeth clenched as he made out the hunched figure of a blond idiot.

He had been crying since they had arrived home and at first, Sasuke had ignored it because he didn't really know how to deal with it. He was used to crying women but he absolutely hated dealing with the tears, they were something that emphasized weakness and Sasuke hated weakness. He had left Naruto to his own devices, hoping that perhaps it would've been enough to leave him alone.

After half an hour, he had grown impatient and had decided to cool off with a shower instead, hopefully by the end of that, Naruto would've stopped crying. Sasuke was planning instead on staying in the shower longer than usual, head bent over and resting against the cool tiles, cold water beating down against his shoulders and rivulets trailing down into dark wiry hair.

He had tried ignoring his little problem but even with the cold water, it definitely wasn't doing anything to help. All he could think of was Naruto's lips against his, soft and plush and fitting perfectly with his. The feel of his body, soft and firm and surprisingly strong. His hands on sharp hips and on what he knew had to be the most perfect ass he had ever seen. Warm tongue, supple skin, and low moans.

Sasuke was throbbing and he rested his hand against the tiles of the shower, clenched tightly into a fist. He was frustrated and horny. He didn't know where the situation with Naruto was right now. All he knew was that he didn't want Gaara to fuck up what little progress he had made with the blond.

He growled and reluctantly, his hand lowered itself until it reached his throbbing member. He hesitated for a second before he wrapped his hand around himself completely and he hissed in relief at the slight pressure. His hand tightened slightly and he stroked himself, thumb reaching to swipe over the head, spreading over the precum that was now leaking freely. Sasuke bit his lip, eyes closing as he imagined Naruto in front of him. He imagined that it was Naruto's hand stroking him instead, teasing and gentle. He imagined Naruto on his knees, hand moving on him with a steady rhythm, blue eyes looking up at him coyly, an impish grin playing on his lips. Pink lips, bitten and swollen with kisses, parted as his hand traced along the dark veins. He imagined Naruto, naked and bared, spread open and _pink _and just ready for the taking and Sasuke came suddenly with a low groan, his come splattering onto the white tile in front of him.

Sasuke shuddered and panted, spreading his hand wide under the spray to wash off the mess. He turned off the water and stepped out into the cold air and realized that he was now shivering. He reached over for the towel and quickly dried himself off, trying not to think about what he had just done.

It wasn't the first time that he had fantasized about Naruto, not by a long shot. And lately, he had started having them more often, just thinking of the many ways he could take Naruto. Against the wall, on the kitchen table, in his bed. Naruto on top, riding him hard and fast or with Sasuke pounding him into the mattress, tan legs wrapped tightly around him or with Naruto on his hands and knees, Sasuke taking him from behind, holding on to slim shoulders as he pulled him back onto his cock with brutal thrusts. Naruto hands on him or his perfect lips wrapped around him, shooting his come down his throat.

No, it was not his first time fantasizing about Naruto, but it was his first time acting on his desire in private. He couldn't find it within himself to feel guilty, he had done it and there was nothing that he could do. Naruto was someone he knew he desired strongly and to deny that was pointless and foolish, he hadn't made his attraction a secret after all.

And now Gaara was in the way and he knew that Naruto was more likely to close up now, eyes guarded. It was definitely not ideal and if he could, he'd try to wipe Gaara off of Naruto's mind. There was no doubt in his mind that Gaara's appearance would make Naruto less willing to accept Sasuke. And he really didn't want that, that was the last thing that he wanted, he hadn't worked this hard for it all to just fall apart at the seams. He'd fight for Naruto, because he knew that he was fucking worth it, Gaara be damned.

He was not giving up and he would not be deterred.

Sasuke's fingers brushed his damp locks out of the way and he pulled on his briefs and sleeping pants. Perhaps Naruto had finally stopped crying. He opened up the door and checked on Naruto.

_Perhaps not._

"How long are you going to cry for?"

What was it about Gaara that made Naruto drip like a fucking faucet?!

He could tell by Naruto's twitch that he had surprised him, but instead of looking chastised, Naruto just looked at him and started to cry even harder. Sasuke winced and ran off to find a shirt to put on instead, trying to buy himself a minute at the least.

When he turned back to Naruto, the blond was trying to wipe away his tears, but it was futile because of the constant new stream of tears.

Sasuke was confused, he truly was. He had originally thought that the excitement of seeing the damn redhead was the reason for Naruto's tears but now he realized that it might be more than that.

"What in the world could you have fucking done to cry like this?"

Naruto didn't reply but looked at him pitifully.

"Are you that worried about the fucking douchebag?"

Naruto threw him a watery glare," Don't insult Gaara like that, you don't know anything about him."

"Dammit Naruto, I'm right here!" he walked up to Naruto and grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him slightly," Why are you crying so much for somebody when I'm right here with you?!"

"Me…too…I want stop but I don't know how," bloodshot blue eyes looked up at him, mouth quivering in an attempt to stall his whimpers," I keep thinking about everything bad that has happened and about everything that I've fucked up.

"I've never brought happiness to anybody, I always mess up other people's lives," Naruto brought his arm up against his eyes, hiding his face from Sasuke," I'm so fucking useless, I'm such a fucking moron."

He pulled his knees up into his chest and looked up at Sasuke," I'm not crying for someone, I'm crying because I…want to. So just…leave me alone and let me deal with it," he put his arms up on his knees and pushed his face into them, shoulders slumped in defeat.

Sasuke stood in silence, letting Naruto cry silently on his own. He really didn't know what he could possibly say right now, he didn't know if anything he would say would even help. He wished that he had comforting words to offer but that was just not who he was, he was not normally someone who offered comfort, he usually didn't have the patience.

Naruto was crying, not because of an old lover or friend or whatever the hell Gaara was. He now knew the reason and it should've been so obvious from the start that Naruto was so overwhelmed by all the past negativity in his life.

Sadness, regret, guilt and remorse.

He knew those feelings well from experience and he didn't know that he could ever emphasize with someone this much. Naruto was crying so openly, like a lost child, like someone who had lost everything and everyone. He thought that it would've been disgusting to see a man sobbing so openly, he thought that he would've been repulsed by such weakness.

He silently walked over to Naruto and kneeled in front of him and Naruto pulled his face up to look at him. Sasuke reached over and gently wiped away a tear. He gazed at Naruto's face, eyes bright with tears and face flushed.

Naruto could never be disgusting to him, he suspected. He was crying but these were the tears of a warrior, someone who had lost so much and who was still here surviving every day. He was strong and so _beautiful_ in his misery.

"Give it a rest, your head must be pounding by now," Sasuke ruffled his hair.

"Spinning…thirsty…hungry," Naruto supplied in agreement.

"Hn. Look at you, you're a mess," Sasuke wiped away the remaining tears and pinched his already flushed cheeks. He used the distraction and leaned in closer to Naruto, who unfortunately was not so easily distracted at the moment. He realized what Sasuke was planning and he put his hand in his face to push him away.

"What are you doing?! Can't you see that I'm crying? You fucking bastard, instead of comforting me, you're just trying to get away with your usual damn tricks!"

"I'm just trying to comfort you the best way that I can, I'm really trying but I just don't know how," Sasuke mumbled regretfully and looked up at Naruto imploringly," You don't like it?"

Naruto bit his lip and turned away," Who the hell would –"Sasuke rested his hand against Naruto's jaw and pulled him in to capture his lips.

Naruto tensed up but relaxed as Sasuke wrapped an arm around his back and another rested against the back of Naruto's head, fingers gripping silky blond locks. He could feel the heat of Naruto's body, could feel how relaxed Naruto was against him. Naruto's face was sticky with the residue of his tears but Sasuke didn't mind at all, not when he was tasting Naruto's lips once again. He licked against Naruto's lips, his teeth lightly nipped at his bottom lip and Naruto gasped and Sasuke readily took advantage, tongue slipping into the warm cavern of Naruto's mouth. His tongue prodded Naruto's and he wrapped it around his, sucking. Naruto moaned and pressed himself closer into Sasuke, arms wrapping themselves around the Raven's shoulders.

Sasuke gently pushed Naruto down onto the floor and he rested atop of him, pressing him down and slotting himself in between his legs. Their mouths didn't separate and their kisses became desperate, hands roaming and tongues exploring each other's.

Sasuke couldn't get enough of Naruto and he wanted, no, _needed_ more of him. He wanted to rest warm within Naruto, wanted to feel his skin against his, wanted to hear more of his sweet moans. They were quickly running out of air and Sasuke released Naruto's lips and his mouth trailed down to his neck instead. He sucked hard, teeth nipping the skin there, determined to leave a mark. Naruto groaned and arched up and Sasuke could feel the hardness in his jeans.

He was hard too and he pressed his hips against Naruto's while one of his hands reached down to pull up the blond's shirt. His hand trailed up against soft skin until it reached a dusky pebbled nipple and he swiped his thumb over it, panting heavily against Naruto's neck as he grinded up against Naruto.

"Ah!"

_More more more_

Sasuke's fingers gave the pebbled skin a last tweak and he reached down to Naruto's jeans.

Naruto's eyes widened and pushed at Sasuke," What are you doing? Stop!"

Sasuke recaptured Naruto's lips, stopping his protests as his fingers deftly undid the clasp of Naruto's jeans and his zipper. He couldn't stop now, not even if he wanted to, and he definitely didn't want to. He tasted so sweet, Kami, he couldn't get enough.

"Sasuke! No –"

"Shh, just a little, stay still. I would never take you by force. So just let me…trust me," Sasuke's tongue traced Naruto's red lips and he took his top lip into his mouth, sucking at it.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Naruto couldn't breathe. It was so hot and he was burning up and he felt as if he was drowning. Sasuke's hands felt like brands against his skin and he felt as if he were being eaten alive. He had never felt like this, had never felt so much pleasure.

He had had sex before and contrary to his allegations, he had experimented with men before, it was not new to him at all. But something about this was different, something about this felt more real, more consuming. He couldn't remember how it had happened but he didn't want it to ever stop, he wanted it to last forever and he wanted those strong hands on him to never let go.

He felt the softness of sheets behind him and for a second, he was surprised. He hadn't noticed the transition to the bed before but it must've been because he was already so distracted. His hands rested on Sasuke's biceps and his fingers curled into the skin, leaving red moon shaped marks behind.

Sasuke's mouth, _oh his mouth_. He wanted more and more and more, he wanted it so much and he didn't know why. He distinctly realized that he was missing his pants but he didn't really care so much as long as Sasuke never stopped.

Naruto mewled when Sasuke pulled away to pay attention to his chest, tongue laving against his nipple and blowing out a gust of cool air. He twitched and cried out as Sasuke pulled his nipple into his mouth, suckling it.

He didn't know what he was even doing here, but he just couldn't resist at this point. He had been ensnared, his mind was becoming blank.

He felt one of Sasuke's hands rest against his hip as it moved down to cup him gently.

"Ah, Sasuke!"

He should've been embarrassed by his cries but he just didn't care, he didn't care at all, not when Sasuke was stroking him the way he was. He threw his head back as Sasuke continued licking at his skin while speeding up. He could tell that Sasuke had probably never been with another man from the slightly inexperienced tight grip that he had on him, but he knew that regardless he wouldn't last long at this rate.

After a few more strokes, Naruto screamed out Sasuke's name and spent into his hand, enjoying the reassuring kisses that Sasuke laid across his neck and face. He looked up into Sasuke's face, still trying to catch his breath and his heart warmed at the softness he saw in those dark eyes.

"Naruto…"Sasuke nuzzled against him gently, his clean hand stroking Naruto's cheek.

_Where did so much heat come from?_

He was in a daze, his mind blank and he felt relieved and refreshed and _happy. _Naruto looked up at Sasuke, with only the thought that he needed him closer, and reached his hands up to pull Sasuke on top of him. This time, he was the one to start their kiss and he realized that this was his first time initiating a kiss between them.

Sasuke met his lips with a soft caress, mouths slanting over each other.

He didn't really understand anything that had just occurred but all he knew was…

_It's so wonderful._

He felt so relaxed and everything went black.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Naruto?" Sasuke looked down at the blond beneath him with surprise. He grabbed his face and poked his cheek.

He then heard the soft snores.

_Are you fucking kidding me?_

Oh, sure, the blond had gotten his enjoyment but where was his?

_Godammit._

Not that he hadn't enjoyed everything that had just happened; he had just hoped that he would get a bit of reciprocation as well. Well, at least he had more resource to draw upon whenever he needed to get off.

_Fuck._

He stomped off to the bathroom instead because seeing Naruto's stupid face made him want to wake him up and he knew that if he did that, he'd probably get yelled at and thrown out.

"How can I even expect to get anywhere like this?" he sighed and looked at himself in the mirror, rubbing his hand against the back of his neck in frustration.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the phone that he remembered Gaara had given Naruto. He turned around fully to glare at it hatefully. He could still remember the anger and the cocky way that Gaara had given Naruto back.

"_He never stops crying once he gets started."_

"_I'll come pick you up soon."_

Sasuke's jaw clenched and he reached for the phone before he could change his mind. He held it tightly in his hand and opened up the lid of the toilet and dropped it into the water. He turned back towards the bedroom and walked away without an ounce of regret.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Naruto?" Gaara opened the door and was surprised when Naruto didn't instantly greet him at the door as he usually did.

He saw the mentioned blond standing in front of the window, towel over his head and pants slung low over his hips. He forced himself to ignore the view and instead walked over to Naruto with his groceries.

"I bought you strawberries and the book you had wanted to read."

"Oh. Thank you. I'll read it later," Naruto still hadn't turned around.

Now that was even stranger. Naruto wasn't extremely rude but he didn't usually say his thanks so politely. He was often hyper and eager to talk about anything and everything and right now, Naruto was being too quiet.

Naruto turned to face him and he hung his face trying to hide his eyes underneath his fringe. He stepped over to sit on the couch, knowing that Gaara would follow him anyway. Sure enough, Gaara stopped in front of the couch and knelt down so he could see him clearly. Naruto knew that his eyes were red and he didn't even put up a fight when Gaara's hand brushed against his eyes.

"I called this morning but you didn't answer. Where did you go?"

"…Kyuubi."

Naruto had gone to visit Kyuubi, hoping that he could uplift his spirit a bit. He always loved to see Kyuubi, he was one of the only people that could make him happy.

"He's going to study abroad…and he said that when he's done, that he will get married right away. I think it's amazing that he's making such important decisions at his age but I just…don't understand. I don't understand him at all, this will probably be the last time that I will be able to see Kyuubi," Naruto brushed his hand against his mouth, feet curled up on the cushions of the couch.

Gaara studied face, lingering on his eyes and thought about what Naruto had just said. He felt a pang of guilt and he turned his face away to hide it from Naruto.

"_Give him back! You lied to him, I can't believe you! He's a child, he's not the type to hang around you, and I won't allow it!"_

"_I will never forgive you, give him back!"_

Gaara swallowed the bile rising up. He wasn't the type that often felt regret. He wrapped his arms around Naruto instead, biting back the words that wanted to come out. He could only hope that this form of comfort was enough for Naruto.

Or maybe the comfort was not so much for Naruto, but for him instead. He could feel his grasp slipping and he didn't want to let Naruto go, didn't want to give him up, not even to Kyuubi.

"Gaara?" Naruto turned towards Gaara, worried," I'm ok now, you don't have to worry," he patted him on the head.

Naruto grinned when Gaara's lips twitched into a small smile. His smiles were rare and he always felt triumphant whenever he managed to wrangle one out of Gaara. Naruto felt like it was a victory, a kind of achievement.

Naruto fell to the side a bit when Gaara leaned on him, slightly resting his weight against him. Gaara got like this sometimes, he was pleasantly affectionate. Naruto laughed when Gaara nuzzled his ear with a cold nose but he jumped away when he felt lips against the side of his neck.

"That surprised me! What were you doing?" Naruto rubbed his neck, it felt oddly tingly.

"Smells good," Gaara grabbed a lock of blond hair," and looks delicious."

Naruto laughed," That doesn't mean that you can eat it!"

"I can't?"

"No!"

_That's right…I can't…not yet._

Gaara stood behind Naruto and put his chin on his shoulder.

"Naruto…even when Kyuubi leaves…you will stay here, right? You'll stay by my side?"

Naruto turned to look back at him, curious. He looked into Gaara's green eyes and they softened, understanding.

"Of course I will! Where else do you think I'll go? You're stuck with me," Naruto grinned and threw his arms around Gaara.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Naruto thought that he could almost hear the soft ringing of bells. He blinked up at the ceiling, body loose and relaxed. He felt as if he had just had a depressing dream, as if he was looking into somebody else's memory, as if someone was calling out to him desperately, searching endlessly for him.

That's right…he had met Gaara again, had cried to his heart's content and then he…

Raven hair, a smug smirk, and burning kisses.

Naruto started, jerking upright in the bed.

_Fuck! What have I done?!_

Memories of wet kisses against bare skin and hands roaming…places…

Just the thought of it made Naruto blush in embarrassment, he was absolutely mortified. He couldn't believe what he had done, what he had let happen. He groaned and smacked his head, hands fisting the sheets. Then he realized that he had a sheet covering him and that he could actually feel it against his skin everywhere.

He lifted up the sheet and quickly brought it back down to cover himself, realizing that he was completely naked. He could clearly remember that he was NOT completely naked when he had passed out, which meant that Sasuke must've completely stripped him while he was unconscious.

_Teme!_

He jumped off the bed and quickly searched the room for his clothes. He saw his briefs by the bed but heard the opening of the door too late and realized that he was still naked. He hurriedly jumped into his underwear but tripped and fell to the ground in his haste. He turned around and saw Sasuke glancing at him with a raised brow.

"You're wearing your underwear inside out."

Indeed he was, but that didn't change anything because he definitely was not taking them back off in front of Sasuke.

"Stop acting like a damn kid, it's not even a big deal."

Yes. Yes, of course, sometimes things could get out of hand between friends, that was probably it.

"You're right! Just accidental touching," Naruto sighed in relief.

"Of course. We're dating, it's only normal. We still have a long way to go," Sasuke smirked.

Naruto did not remember at any point when he had ever willingly agreed to date Sasuke. And…"long way to go"?! What did that even mean?!

"Stop freaking out and just get over here!" Sasuke pointed at the cake that he hadn't noticed before.

_Cake…_

Naruto obediently walked over to the cake, eager to appease his stomach, which he had now just realized was growling its natural call.

His fork stopped on the path along to his mouth when he saw Sasuke pull out a cigarette.

"You…smoke?" he was surprised, he hadn't encountered this bad habit as of yet.

"I'm so fucking deprived that I think I'll die if I don't get it out some other way," Sasuke glared at him accusingly.

Naruto almost didn't want to ask but knew that he couldn't leave it like that because really, curiosity always kills the damn cat.

"You were the only that enjoyed yesterday, how could you actually fall asleep like that?"

Naruto choked on his cake, eyes watering. He really shouldn't have asked, now he was regretting it.

"I hope that you do remember that you actually kissed me back, at least," Sasuke leered.

"That…was…"Naruto couldn't find the words, which was odd because he always had something to say but right now his mouth wasn't working and he didn't know how to reply to Sasuke without sounding like an idiot. Which he did most of the time anyway but that was beside the point.

"It's not something that you do to just anyone, is it?" Sasuke walked over to him and leaned down to face him," If you say that you mistook me for somebody else," Sasuke wrapped his hand lightly around Naruto's neck," I'll kill you."

Naruto's heart beat fast against his ribcage and for the first time, he was actually frightened of Sasuke. He knew that Sasuke would never actually hurt him but the dark look in his eyes was dangerous and all Naruto wanted to do was run away.

"When you give somebody a choice, you're supposed to give them space so they can make an escape if needed," Naruto pushed Sasuke away.

"You don't even have your bags unpacked! It's almost as if you're always ready leave and you want even more of a chance to escape? Do you want to run away? Preparing to go to someone else?"

Naruto opened his mouth but was startled by the loud bang of the front door slamming open.

"Naruto will be staying with me for a while," Sai looked at Sasuke expectedly.

Naruto didn't really know why Sai was here but he was glad to see him. He had saved him from a long argument that he didn't really have the strength to deal with. He hadn't really expected him to show up at all.

"You were late, so I came here instead," Sai turned to Naruto and narrowed his eyes at his neck.

Naruto blushed and covered himself up, knowing that he probably had marks all over him from the day before. Sai turned towards Sasuke and slapped him over the head.

"You actually did it. I should kill you, how dare you!"

"Fuck! Don't butt into my personal life!"

"I didn't like you since the very beginning, you animal!"

Naruto watched as Sai kicked Sasuke and both of them wrestled on the ground. He grinned at the sight. Sai and Sasuke had never gotten along and Sai was usually calm and stoic but every now and then, his dislike for Sasuke showed and Naruto always thought it was hilarious to watch the two dark-haired men argue with each other.

"Sai, I'm fine. He's not to blame," Naruto smiled at Sai in what he hoped looked like reassurance. Of course he knew that Sasuke would never hurt him, he was too afraid that it would make Naruto hate him. And as much as he pretended to be an asshole, Sasuke was still the guy that bought Naruto cake and who tried to comfort him, albeit in his own way.

He actually reminded Naruto of himself, of his past self, someone who was more carefree and who did things his way no matter the consequences.

Sai caught his eye and Naruto nodded at him. Sai walked back out with a loud "I'll be at home Naruto, just come over when you're done."

He supposed that it was the best he could do, maybe staying away from Sasuke for a few weeks would clear up his head. He was starting to feel like he was losing himself and he wasn't ready to fully let go just yet. Naruto ignored Sasuke's indignant stare and walked into the bathroom to gather his toiletries. His bags were already packed from the last time he had had his freak out so at least it saved him the time of doing that. He looked up at himself in the mirror as he stuffed his toothbrush into the outside pocket of his bag and he flushed at the dark hickies place around his neck. He shook his head and was about to walk away when he spotted an object floating in the toilet.

Naruto walked closer, curious, and he stopped cold at the sight of the phone that Gaara had handed him the day before.

He couldn't hear anything and he realized that his hands were shaking as he reached down into the bowl to take it out. The battery was fried but he had already suspected that. His jaw clenched and his body felt hot and cold, his grip on the phone tightened. He walked out into the dining room, when he finally found Sasuke; he punched him with the hand that was holding the phone. Sasuke stumbled back in obvious surprise, hand reaching up to cover his now bloody nose.

"Asshole! It was you, wasn't it?!"

Sasuke's silence said it all.

"How could you?!" Naruto brought his arm back to deliver the next blow and Sasuke grabbed his arm before it could connect. His other hand grabbed Naruto's, to prevent all further attacks, and Naruto struggled against him, thrashing around.

"Let go!" Naruto choked out, he was shocked to find that he was crying and he hadn't felt this powerless in so long, he had forgotten how badly it hurt.

"I had finally gotten to see him! I still had so much to tell him!" Naruto sobbed, his throat closing up as he slumped over.

_I'm so sorry, Gaara._

_I should've told you when we had first met._

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Sasuke growled, his hands tightening around Naruto's wrists as he pinned them to the wall behind Naruto.

"Why are you crying now? You're always losing control when it involves that guy!" Sasuke brought his face closer to Naruto's and sneered," Are you two really just friends?"

"Wha-"

"You act like his bitch! Like you couldn't forget about him!"

"You're the only one that treats me like a bitch! Who's the one that wants me to be his woman so desperately?!"

"If you were a woman, maybe things wouldn't be this hard!" Sasuke grit out.

Maybe, if Naruto had been born a woman, he'd actually understand him better. Perhaps he wouldn't be slowly losing his mind, being driven crazy by a stupid blond who couldn't even make up his fucking mind.

"You're destroying me," Sasuke covered his face with his hands, frustrated beyond belief," your indecisive attitude is driving me insane! Just answer me, tell me what I even am to you!" Sasuke's chest hurt and he felt like he couldn't breathe.

Naruto pursed his lips and looked up at him in defiance with tears in his eyes.

"Please…I beg you, are you going to continue letting me humiliate myself in front of you? How much more do you want from me? Are you seriously going to act like nothing even happened between us, just like last time?!"

Sasuke felt like he was falling into madness, he had never felt this broken, this out of control. He hadn't realized how much Naruto had gotten under his skin, hadn't realized how much he was losing sight of himself. It had become an obsession, he was sick with need and repulsed by it but he wanted more, he couldn't get enough of even a shred of hope.

He felt gentle hands stroking his hair and he lifted his head. Naruto looked down at him, guilt shining in his eyes.

"I don't even really know the answer to that yet, but if I didn't like, I would've left a long time ago."

"You do make me happy," the blond furrowed his brows," but not the way you're going about things, things are too fucked up right now. We're going too fast and we're losing control of ourselves, so that's why, please just…wait."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

He immediately knew that Sasuke would take anything that he could give. And the thought of that made him feel sick but at the same time, it made him feel special and it made him feel needed.

"If you're not happy enough with this, then we can forget it and –"

"No! It's enough! I'm still not completely happy," Naruto was wrapped up into strong arms and his head rested against Sasuke's chest," but it is enough for now."

When he thought about it, he could actually still remember the details from the night before. He was warm in Sasuke's bed and Sasuke rested on him and his eyes looked at him so tenderly with so much care. But at the same time, there was a small glimpse of nervousness, as if he was afraid of rejection from him. He saw the loneliness and he was reminded of a child, oblivious and pure. His stare was so piercing and searching and it was all he could see.

_Just how long have you been looking at me like that?_

_How could I have missed it?_

Thinking about it made him want to cry, because he didn't deserve to have Sasuke's adoration, didn't deserve to have anything of his. The reason for why he couldn't fully accept Sasuke's feelings was because he was so easily moved by other's feelings. He needed to figure out what he was feeling on his own and he couldn't do that with Sasuke around all the time. He couldn't do it with Sasuke pushing and pulling, because he knew that soon enough there would be no more left of him, he would stretch himself thin, trying to appease Sasuke without ever understanding his own feelings.

"Anyway," Naruto pulled himself away and turned back to the problem at hand," what am I going to do about this?" he gestured to the dead cellphone.

Thinking about it just made him angrier but he threw a murderous glare at Sasuke anyway.

"That can't be the only one to contact him," Sasuke sighed.

"Right," Naruto scratched his head and stared blankly at the phone.

"Just to be clear," Naruto turned back towards Sasuke and raised an inquiring brow at Sasuke," there's really nothing going on between you and that guy, right?"

Naruto snorted and pulled off his shirt, "Get the fuck out."

"You can deny it, but isn't there something suspicious about him?"

"Stop talking shit, Gaara…"

_Cold lips pressed against his temple, arms wrapped tightly around him._

"…Gaara liked Kyuubi, not me," Naruto checked his reflection in the bathroom mirror as he inspected the bruises on his neck," that's probably why things got so fucked up in the first place, we look kinda alike."

"Kyuubi?" the confusion in Sasuke's voice was apparent.

Naruto caught his eye in the mirror and looked away.

"I had a twin."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Gaara."

Gaara grabbed the men as he got closer with the dagger. It was easy enough to throw him to the ground and even easier to lean down to crack the man's arm, the dagger felt onto the ground with a clatter. Unfortunately, idiots were usually stubborn and even though the man was in obvious pain, he still tried charging at Gaara again. He dodged the tackle effortlessly and brought his leg up to the man's face and delivered a swift kick. He grabbed the man by the hair and was about to give the final blow when he was interrupted.

"That's enough. Let him go," Neji leaned against his car, cigarette dangling from in between his fingers.

Gaara let him go and watched as the man ran off.

"Beating punks up won't accomplish anything. If he's really as tough as they say he is, he'll come back soon."

"Who sent them?"

"It could be anyone, but I do have my suspicions. He's probably connected to my job. Or it could just be a jilted ex-lover," the other man smirked.

"Does it happen often?"

"I usually have bodyguards with me," Neji replied with a careless shrug as he got into his car," I'll drive, you will probably get blood onto my upholstery otherwise."

Gaara looked down and realized that the man had gotten in a hit before he had even noticed. His jean was torn at the thigh and he was bleeding slightly from the knife. It was nothing he hadn't gotten before and he hadn't even felt it, he was used to bigger wounds.

When they were back at Hyuga's penthouse with Gaara holding a towel over the cut and with the other man sitting close by with a wine glass in one hand and a cigarette in another, Neji started the conversation back up.

"You're not as great as the rumors say you are. You seem rather weak."

"Rumors?" Gaara raised an eyebrow.

"No feelings, no remorse, 100% satisfaction guaranteed, a man made out of ice. I'm also referred to as such," Neji walked closer to Gaara, "but be that as it may, mistakes will always be mistakes. You are useless to me this way. What should we do about that?"

Gaara said nothing and glanced coldly back at the man.

"Where is your determination? You seem preoccupied," Neji made a thoughtful noise and leaned down to move the towel away from his wound," Is your friend not answering your calls?" he lowered his lit cigarette and pressed it into the wounded skin that peered through his torn jeans.

Gaara didn't flinch, didn't even do as much as twitch.

Neji smirked darkly and reached down with a hand, pressing it into the same wound. He dug his nails harshly into the bleeding wound, irritating it further with dark red marks.

Gaara calmly stared back at him.

"You hold it in well. Does it hurt? Do you always hold it in like this? Ignoring the pain, controlling your emotions?" Neji smiled," But even then, you still have something that you want to protect, something that you desire."

"I can give that to you, if you do everything that I tell you to I'll give you anything that you desire. For someone who had nothing, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, don't you think?" Neji stood up straight and returned to his seat," Just think of it as your old job, I need to make sure that your presence is still useful to me."

_Neji Hyuga._

_Kyuubi loved him and…_

"Just tell me what to do," Gaara said.

_He's also the man that Naruto had once fallen in love with._

_Why did you fall for someone so dangerous, Naruto?_

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

A/N: Writing is hard. It really is, I have a deep respect for writers that can write several stories at once and who can write 20k all in one go. I tend to struggle through 1k sometimes, IT'S SO HARD. All I wanna do is sob into my keyboard.

I think we're finally seeing some progress though. Maybe. Hopefully.

Hopefully my smut was ok? If you guys are nice enough to leave a review, I'll even put in more smut in the later chapters. But that's only if you guys are nice, because otherwise you all get coal. Or something.


	13. A Rock and a Hard Place

Chapter 13

A Rock and a Hard Place

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

_I will dedicate  
>And sacrifice my everything for just a second's worth<br>Of how my story's ending  
>And I wish I could know if the directions that I take<br>And all the choices that I make won't end up all for nothing_

_Crawling In the Dark – Hoobastank_

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Naruto slung his backpack over his shoulder and checked the rest of his bags that rested around his feet, making sure that he had everything. He took one last look around the room and spotted his old cellphone on the end table. He paused for a moment, looking at it longingly, and swept it into his hand, gripping it tightly.

He hadn't changed the number in the longest time, not since he had gotten the phone in the first place, such a long time ago. He had another phone, one he used far more often and considered his main phone number. He often wondered why he tried keeping up with having two phones, most would consider it tedious. He didn't pull it out often; only when he was at his worst, and he had never let anybody else see it. The phone was probably a good five years old, the model was forgotten, and its paint was chipped in places where he had dropped it before. A corner of its screen was cracked where he could clearly remember throwing it against the wall a few years ago. It was old, used, and beaten and just looking at it reminded him of himself, of everything that he's ever wanted to overlook.

He realized that if he had truly wanted to forget everything and start over, that the phone would've been the first thing to go. It was the only link that he had to the past and he couldn't get rid of it, no matter how much he really wanted to. He couldn't use it, pretending as if nothing had ever happened.

Naruto clenched his hand over his heart.

No, he couldn't do that at all.

Because in this phone was Kyuubi's voice. It was the last time he had ever heard his voice, the very last moment of it.

In this phone was the last message that Kyuubi had left him, right before he had died.

Naruto sighed and shoved the blue phone into the pocket of his jeans and walked out of the bedroom, gathering up his other bags. Sasuke hadn't been too happy to hear that he had still been planning on leaving to Sai's house. But he knew better than to argue with him so soon after their last argument.

Besides, it wasn't like Naruto was abandoning Sasuke. He would still be dropping by from time to time to make sure that the asshole was taking care of himself.

And if Naruto knew that he'd miss the bastard too? Well, that was only for him to know. No need to alert Sasuke, it'd only make him smug anyway.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

When Sasuke walked into the apartment, he was startled by the silence. Even though most of his things had remained, the apartment, which had become more like a home since Naruto had moved in, seemed now empty and cold. It wasn't something that he was used to and the starkness of it unsettled him. Usually whenever he arrived, Naruto was already home and would call out a loud greeting. The house would smell of burning food cooking on the stove and there would be music playing softly in the background as Naruto swayed along as he prepared the food.

He had forgotten that he used to live alone, before Naruto was even in the picture. He had forgotten what it was like to feel alone and abandoned.

Has his apartment always been this cold?

For a moment, Sasuke was tempted to walk back out and crash on somebody else's couch instead. He knew that if he stayed, he would only feel more and more restless. He considered the option carefully before deciding that he was not going anywhere.

What if Naruto changed his mind and returned?

He needed to stay, just in case. Meanwhile, he would keep the apartment as tidy as he could, would keep up maintaining it so that when Naruto eventually did return, he wouldn't be angry over his lack of being organized.

Because, Naruto had to come back. He had promised. So, Sasuke believed him. Because he had no other choice. This was now completely out of his hands and if he pushed further, he'd find himself in the middle of the river without a paddle. Naruto said he would come back and Sasuke took him at his word, because Sasuke trusted him.

At this point, this was his only option.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Naruto sat down in one of the park benches and pouted. He crossed his arms, groaning as he resisted the strong urge to smack his palm against his forehead. He really was stupid. Truly, deeply, without a doubt, stupid.

But what else had he been expecting, really?

Sure, Sai was great. He was a godsend, had saved him more than a handful of times. He had let him keep his job and was probably the best boss he had ever had.

But the man lived like a filthy pig.

Honestly, Naruto hadn't even considered it; it never really crossed his mind. Maybe at one point, it should've, but he had never thought that he'd be living with the man for a while either so he didn't concern himself with it.

Now that he was indeed staying with Sai, though, Naruto had to wonder if there was a possibility that he could run away instead. There was no way that he would be going back to Sasuke's apartment just yet, because he knew that the man would just throw an "I told you so" in his face.

But Naruto just had to think about the pigsty that was Sai's house and Naruto began doubting his decision. When Sai had invited him in, Naruto had almost passed out at the sight of filth everywhere. And when Sai had said that Naruto's job was to clean it all up?

Naruto had run out, legs carrying him as far as they could. He had ran until he had reached the park, hand pressed against his chest, gasping as he tried to regain his breath. Naruto briefly considered working out more to build up his stamina but quickly disregarded it.

He was much too lazy to actually go out and actively run around on a daily basis.

And that's where Naruto found himself now, collapsed onto the wooden bench. It wasn't the most accommodating but he was out of options at the moment; he'd take the wooden bench over Sasuke's smug smile and Sai's creepy grin.

He knew that he had to go back to Sai's eventually. Had already figured it out when he decided to run, but for now, he was satisfied with pretending that he didn't have to go back to the House of Horrors.

Naruto was jolted out of his thoughts when he felt a vibration against his leg and he jumped, startled. He stood up and patted the front of his pockets, brows furrowed as he pulled out the blue phone. He pursed his lips, his grip on the phone tightening.

He must've accidently turned it on earlier.

Naruto bit his lip and flipped the phone open, bringing it up to his ear with trembling fingers.

"Hello?"

"_Hello," _a deep voice, hopeful and desperate.

Naruto bit down on his lip harder, ignoring the sharp pain.

"_Is this Naruto Namikaze?"_

Naruto sighed and brought his index finger and thumb close to his face and pinched his nose.

"No, I've told you before, this number doesn't belong to that person anymore," Naruto replied, voice nasally and high.

"_No, wait!"_

Naruto closed the phone sharply, hanging up on the man abruptly. He ran his fingers through his hair, pulling at the ends slightly. He had forgotten how hard it was to deal with this phone. He preferred his current one, because it offered the relief that the other one didn't. Naruto flipped the phone open once again and his finger hovered over the power button. He almost dropped the phone when it suddenly began to ring again and Naruto groaned. He could always just ignore it but Naruto was feeling really frustrated and telling somebody off would be a great stress reliever.

He answered the call with a bland "Yes?"

"_Naruto?"_

Naruto's eyes widened at the familiar voice. Warmth started in his chest and he felt almost giddy. The plastic phone creaked in his tight grip and he relaxed his hold while he took steady breaths.

"Gaara!"

"_Can we meet up?"_

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

A/N: Unfortunately, I have been extremely busy. School is kicking my ass. Work is kicking my ass. Also, I've been doing some beta work for a couple of stories and am currently been gearing up to start another story with a friend. Busy, busy, busy. This chapter is shorter, I have mentioned that I will be writing short chapters now so that I'll be able to update quicker. Next chapter should be up in a week (or two at the most).

I'm trying, please don't kill me.

Thank you all for your comments, favorites, follows, etc. If I don't reply to your comments or messages (because I hardly do so anymore) rest assured that it's not because I hate any of you (because I love you all, I really do) but because I don't have the time to get through them. I do read each and every message/comment and I appreciate them all!


	14. We're In This Moment Now

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Chapter 14

We're In This Moment Now

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Naruto ran faster than he could remember running. The heat was scorching hot and he was sweating and gasping for air but he ignored it all, could barely even feel it. All he could feel was the pounding of his heart, whether it was from exertion or excitement he wasn't too sure; it was probably a combination of both. He could feel the wild whip of his hair in his face; could taste the salty and sweaty strands in his mouth.

His feet finally stuttered to a stop as he reached his destination.

He looked around desperately, searching for a hint of red amongst the crowd of people. He finally spotted a tall figure sloped onto a light post and Naruto let out a relieved breath. He was scared that maybe he had missed him; worried that it might've been his last chance.

Gaara almost didn't notice him as he approached, he looked distracted. Most people wouldn't have noticed it but Naruto considered himself well versed in decoding the miniscule expressions on Gaara's face. His jaw was clenched and his lips were set into a hard line and his gaze was distant. As soon as Naruto got closer, Gaara finally straightened up in recognition.

Naruto smiled at him shyly, knowing that his face was probably red from the heat and the running.

"Naruto…" The redhead stepped closer, his hand reaching up to stroke a hot cheek. "Don't run, it is too hot, you're all sweaty now. We should go look for somewhere with more shade." The redhead turned away and started to walk off in search of somewhere cooler.

Naruto bit his lip and his face heated up even more, his eyes were starting to water. He really didn't know why he continued acting like a pathetic idiot but he really couldn't help it. This was the first time he had seen Gaara by himself, with no other distractions around.

"Naruto?" Gaara stopped, twisting around to look at him curiously.

Naruto jumped before Gaara could fully turn around and wrapped his arms around his waist instead.

"Ice cream…" He sniffed.

"Okay." He could almost feel Gaara's amusement and Naruto bit down on his lip harder to stop himself from giggling.

Giggling was not manly whatsoever and he refused to let Gaara see that. He tightened his hold around Gaara, pressing his front against his back. He could feel the strength of Gaara this way, could feel the muscled body underneath the long sleeved shirt. He stood on his toes and rested his forehead against the hard planes of his shoulder blades. He breathed in deeply and turned his head to listen to steady thump of Gaara's heartbeat.

This was familiarity, the only familiarity he had left from his past. Gaara was a known factor, a trusted friend; loyal and strong and honest. Having him here in front of him was not something he had imagined and he found the thought almost funny. He had spent so much time throwing the blame onto himself, replaying past memories that were better left forgotten and not once had he stopped to consider what meeting with Gaara again would be like. Not once had he considered what he would say or what he would do.

He squeezed Gaara's waist. "You've gotten skinnier."

"No, I haven't." Gaara's hands covered his. "Naruto, I can't walk like this."

Naruto snorted and loosened his hold on Gaara.

"Gaara, I'm sorry…the phone you gave me, I lost it." There was no use telling Gaara about what happened with Sasuke, the outcome would not be so pretty. He still felt like he wanted to cry but he had been through such emotional days lately that he was slightly surprised that he hadn't curled up in fetal position and given up already.

Naruto felt Gaara tense in his arms and Naruto finally released him as the redhead's hands reached to cup his cheeks. "Smile, Naruto. If you smile, then I can smile."

Naruto blinked rapidly, trying to prevent tears from falling and his lips twitched into a small smile. He shouldn't have been surprised that Gaara was still the same person he knew before and Naruto was relieved to find that he was. People tended to change and the definition of time always varied. He had known people who could change within a day, had known people whose personalities were fickle and weak.

But ever since he had met Gaara, he had always been a constant. There was always that reassurance that Gaara would never change, would never leave him behind. He and Gaara had been so close before, Naruto had never been able to trust someone who wasn't Kyuubi. Naruto knew that Gaara and him didn't have much in common and thus had no real reason to get along. But Gaara had always cared for him, he never understood why, but he wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth, especially when it came in such an understanding package.

Then, Gaara was taken away and he feared that he would never find someone like Gaara. Of course Sasuke came along later on, but Naruto had never considered him a replacement. Sasuke and Gaara were two different people and he cared for them in different ways.

Gaara had always been his comfort; his rock. When nobody could stand him, Gaara looked after him without expecting anything back. He wasn't the most expressive person in the world but his actions did all the talking for him. He didn't even mind Naruto's constant talking; actually bothered listening and replying with such a serious and concentrated look on his face. Naruto's love for Gaara was soft, calm, and adoring – just like the love that Naruto had for Kyuubi.

Sasuke, on the other hand, was a completely different matter. In such a short period of time, Sasuke had managed to worm his way into Naruto's reluctant heart. He was a rude asshole who had no filter and who always did things his way without any worry to the consequences. He was pushy and possessive and persistent. Yet, he was also sweet at times; although he often used harsh words to mask his concern. He was a prickly bastard and Naruto could see why the brunet didn't make friends easily. Naruto still wasn't sure about his romantic feelings toward Sasuke but he could at least admit that Sasuke made him feel warm and fluttery.

He hadn't felt like that about anyone in what seemed like a long time. Not that he'd ever admit it to anyone, much less Sasuke because he was such a bastard.

Naruto looked up at Gaara and felt guilty that he was currently caught up with his feelings about Sasuke while Gaara was right in front of him. He could sort out his thoughts later on in the privacy of Sai's home but with Gaara here, his attention should've been solely on him instead.

Blue eyes looked back silently into green ones and Naruto smiled wide as he threw his arms around Gaara's neck.

There had always been things that he had wanted to say to Gaara. Things that he hadn't had the chance to say back when he could. He had many questions, so many inquiries about what had gone wrong and what had happened.

But looking at Gaara's face, he could honestly say that he couldn't think of anything else to say. He had forgotten anything that he had wanted to say.

"I missed you."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Naruto turned underneath the spray of Gaara's shower, running soap over his body, making sure to wash off any trace of sweat and dirt. He sighed in relief, enjoying the cold water against his heated skin and reached out to grab Gaara's shampoo. He sniffed it cautiously and shrugged as he lathered a decent amount into his blond locks.

He hadn't been thinking about taking a shower but Gaara had insisted on going to his apartment so he could cool off. Naruto had quickly agreed because he was actually really curious about where Gaara lived. It had been a long time and the last time he had been in Gaara's apartment, it was back when they were living together.

His new apartment actually looked similar to their old apartment and Naruto found himself being hit by deja-vu. Perhaps Gaara felt comfort in familiarity too?

Naruto stood in the shower quietly, lost in the sound of the water hitting the tile of the shower. He shook himself out of his thoughts and opened the curtain to reach for a towel but was disgruntled when he couldn't find one. All he could see was the long white dress shirt that Gaara had left for him on the counter of the sink. He didn't want to drip water all over Gaara's floor but he really didn't know what else he could do.

"Um…Gaara? Do you have a towel I can use? I'm kind of dripping all over the place here." Naruto grabbed the white shirt and looked at it incredulously. He lifted it up but couldn't find anything else to go with it. How was he supposed to walk out in only this?

"Also, I think you forgot to give me more clothes. Plus, even this isn't in my size, it's too big!"

Naruto walked out of the bathroom, holding the shirt against his crotch. It was the only cover that he had and Naruto blushed in embarrassment as he heard the soft footsteps of Gaara approaching. He looked up at Gaara and fidgeted under his intense stare. He waited for a few minutes but Gaara seemed to have forgotten that he was there going by his unfocused look.

"Gaara?"

The redhead seemed to snap out of his trace and lifted up a towel that he had been carrying. Until now, Naruto hadn't noticed it and he huffed at himself in annoyance. He reached in to take it but was taken aback by Gaara running the towel over his wet hair. His eye twitched as the rubbing against his hair turned harsher.

"No! I'll do it myself instead, you're hurting me." Naruto pouted and took the towel from Gaara. He felt the shirt that he was holding fall to the ground and Naruto flushed but refused to acknowledge his embarrassment. He had stood naked in Gaara's presence before anyway, it wasn't anything new; Gaara was probably already used to it. Naruto ran the towel over the rest of his body quickly nonetheless, no use prolonging it.

"Anyway, you should go take a shower now." He peeked underneath his lashes at Gaara when he didn't reply. "What are you waiting for?" Blond brows furrowed in confusion. Gaara was acting really strangely and he was starting to wonder whether there was anything wrong. Gaara didn't react to his question at all and was still staring at him.

It was actually starting to make him uncomfortable and he became even more so when Gaara leaned in closer. He crowded him against the wall and his hand moved up to cup Naruto's cheek. Gaara had always been rather affectionate with him but there were always instances where he wasn't sure what Gaara was thinking about and where the touches became a bit more than slightly…affectionate.

This was one of them.

He almost flinched when Gaara moved again but was surprised when Gaara quickly wrapped him into the forgotten white shirt that had been on the ground. Green eyes avoided his questioning gaze as long fingers buttoned up the shirt. Gaara then turned around and headed towards the bathroom.

"I'll be quick." He disappeared into the room and Naruto took in a relieved breath. He hadn't noticed that he had been holding in his breath.

Awkward moments like these weren't uncommon at all with Gaara but this one had been rather…strange. He didn't know why but this had felt different. The look in Gaara's eyes had been hungry and desperate. It had almost reminded him of Sasuke.

Thinking of Sasuke made him fidget again. He felt almost guilty standing in Gaara's apartment and he had no idea why he felt like he was betraying him. He thought back to Sasuke's accusations about Gaara and he shook his head.

Gaara did not feel like that towards him and Naruto definitely did not feel like that towards him. Sasuke was wrong.

He had to be.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

A/N: What's this? An actual update a week later? Wow, I must be doing something right. Chapter is short but perhaps that's the only way I can maintain a regular schedule. This chapter, as always, was not looked over by a beta (I'm also now finally looking for one, if anyone is interested!) so all mistakes are my own, let me know if there are any I need to fix.

Thank you to all those who favorited, followed, and commented!


	15. MUST READ - IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

A/N: **PLEASE READ, THIS IS AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT**.

As many of you already know, I have been having a really hard time writing this story. Because I started it three years ago, when I was currently obsessed with SasuNaru, I thought it would've been a good idea. Unfortunately, it has been **three years** after all and that's enough time to grow out of it, kinda? I started out writing this story with so much hope and happiness and I received a well enough response to it, so I thought I would continue on with it.

The thing is, though, that lately, I've been forcing myself to write. I feel like my work is stunted and boring and something just isn't clicking between the story and I anymore. I did have plans for this story – still kinda do, if I have to be honest – but I'm just not focused on those plans anymore.

The feedback I get for each chapter has dwindled to almost nothing; I feel like I am writing this for no one and for no reason. I'm not one of those writers who can just write for herself, I need positive feedback or else I feel like this is all for nothing. Why continue writing a story that I've lost all desire in writing? Nobody seems to be reading anyway. Or, nobody seems to care enough to let me know that they still are.

Also, I have started a new Hannigram story on my AO3 account. I started it 4 days ago and so far, have 3 chapters. For the first time in a long time, I feel excited to write. I'm HAPPY to write. I've gotten so many comments and kudos and that lets me know that people are reading my story and taking the time to let me know that they are and that they like what they see. It gives me motivation to write.

So, for these reasons, I will not be focused on writing this story anymore. Instead, I will be focusing on my new story. I will not declare this an official hiatus, because I think that maybe every now and then I'll still post chapters up, but these updates will be few in between.

This isn't an announcement to make any of you feel guilty and I do not want you to think that this is a form of whining and begging for more reviews. This is my way of letting you guys know what I have been dealing with in regards to this story because I think you guys deserve the unfiltered truth.

Thank you all to those who supported me in the beginning and for those who continued to do. I apologize for this inconvenience and for any disappointment this may bring.


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